La Salle versus Ateneo: Reliving the rivalry

Archrivals battling it out always provides for an interesting storyline and in the UAAP, nothing is more compelling than the games between long-time rivals De La Salle University and Ateneo De Manila University.

Come Sunday, July 20, at 11 am, fans and supporters alike of both schools are in for a treat as the reigning league champions, the DLSU Green Archers and the former five-peat winners, the ADMU Blue Eagles, collide for the first time in UAAP Season 77 at the historic Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

Changing fortunes

La Salle and Ateneo ended up with opposite fates in the previous UAAP season. After reigning as the kings of UAAP basketball for five straight years beginning in 2008, the Blue Eagles concluded UAAP 76 with a fifth place finish after being knocked out with a loss to the UST Growling Tigers late in the elimination round. It was Ateneo’s first time to miss the Final Four in 15 years.

Meanwhile, it was a breakthrough season for their archrival La Salle. For the first time since 2005, La Salle was able to sweep Ateneo in the elimination rounds. Reaching the finals, they faced an experienced UST squad. Despite being the clear underdogs in terms of experience in the best-of-three finals series, the Green Archers prevailed over the Espana-based squad in Game Three which brought back the championship to Taft Avenue for the first time since 2007.

A fresh beginning

With a new UAAP season at hand, avid fans of these two teams surely can’t wait to see what these two teams have to offer. Coming off a startling 82-77 defeat at the hands of the FEU Tamaraws in their season opener last July 12, the Taft-based squad is in a familiar situation as they also lost in last season’s opener against UST. Moreover, the issues from last year’s run were very visible in the game as free throws and late-game mishaps cost the Green Archers a potential win. The team was led in scoring by Almond Vosotros, Jeron Teng, and Jason Perkins who had 18,14, and 11 points respectively.

The Blue Eagles, on the other hand, handled their first game of the season well with a 79-57 win against the AdU Soaring Falcons. Fourth-year veteran guard Kiefer Ravena led the team in scoring with 22 points, including two dunks.

Matchups to look out for

As the leading scorers for their respective teams, La Salle’s Jeron Teng and Ateneo’s Kiefer Ravena are expected to perform at a high-level in this upcoming duel. The combination of skill and veteran leadership would be a sight to see from these two players as they battle it out in Sunday’s game.

Moreover, last season’s Most Improved Player, Arnold van Opstal, will have an interesting match-up against Ateneo’s rookie big man Arvin Tolentino. The battle in the paint will be much more interesting with these two players getting physical with each other.

In terms of height and girth, La Salle looks to have the upper hand while Ateneo seems to house a smaller but faster squad. Nevertheless, in a rivalry that is as old and intense as the one between La Salle and Ateneo, all statistics go out the window as players give their all for a win.

At 11 am on July 20 in the SMART-Araneta Coliseum, these arch enemies with a colorful history will relive once again the rivalry that has caught the attention of thousands of Philippine sports fans. Will the Blue Eagles take revenge on the team that swept them last season or will the Green Archers finally win their first game of the season against the Katipunan-based squad?