Rivalry position per position: La Salle-Ateneo FilOil bout pregame

Familiar foes will collide again this coming Saturday evening at the Arena in San Juan as the fabled La Salle-Ateneo rivalry adds yet another exciting chapter to the 2012 FilOil Flying V Preseason Hanes Cup.

Coming off from a stunning 67-61 lost from the Mapua Cardinals, the Green Archers hope to earn their quarterfinals tickets with a win over their bitter rivals.

Banged up with injuries all preseason long, this will be the toughest challenge yet for the resilient Archers as they will face the boys from Katipunan with a depleted line-up. The Green Archers shall play without its big man Arnold Van Opstal.

Luigi Dela Paz will also not suit up due to a recurring dislocated shoulder, while Cebuano sensation Mac Tallo is suspended for a game after his altercation with Mapua’s Andretti Stevens in their previous game.

In their match up at last year’s cup, La Salle’s L.A. Revilla went clutch in the 4th quarter
by scoring 12 consecutive points to stun the defending UAAP Champions with a 66-61 win.

Now with a revamped roster and coaching staff, how La Salle matches up with Ateneo at each position will be the influence on this highly anticipated game.

Here is a positional breakdown for the much-awaited clash.

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New hope has been injected into the Archers after retooling their coaching staff and acquiring blue chip recruits.

With its athlethic bevy of big men, wing men, and guards, look for La Salle to assert its athleticism to its advantage, countering Ateneo’s size, especially with Slaughter in the middle.

Expect the bigs to outrun their Ateneo counterparts; a high-tempo game is what the Archers need to excute, and execute well.

If they can dictate the tempo of the game, a win is very well within their reach.

Photos by Kristine Barreiro, Kevin Prudon & Jonathan Keh

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Filoil DLSU-ADMU update: Green Archers thumps a Slaughter-less Ateneo squad in OT, 62-59, to earn the last quarterfinals berth.

Quarter scores: 14-10, 28-20, 38-31, 53-53, 62-59