ATENEO bagged the second title of its three-peat run in 2018 at the expense of University of the Philippines.
Now the defending champions, the Fighting Maroons will try to return the favor when they clash in the Big Dance anew.
Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin admitted his charges will be the heavy underdogs but they are not lacking motivation to bounce back from a painful finals loss to UP seven months ago.
“That Ateneo team in May had a lot more experience than this team. But I think this team has the DNA of underdogs, and I don’t think the team in May did,” Baldwin said after his team clobbered Adamson University 81-60 in their Final Four duel two days ago. “I think there was a sense of ownership of the title, and we learned in a very, very hard way that nobody owns the title. Every season, you’re not a defending champion.
“You’re a new team playing for a new championship. We may have lost sight of that last season, Season 84,” he added.
The Eagles take on the Maroons on Sunday, Dec. 11, in Game 1 of their best-of-3 finals showdown for the 85h UAAP basketball tournament crown at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
The tiff kicking off the race-to-2 series of the combatants’ finals rematch is set at 6 p.m., with the winner moving within a victory of reaching the Promised Land.
Ateneo will bank on naturalized Filipino center Ange Kouame, Dave Ildefonso, Kai Ballungay, BJ Andrade, Forthsky Padrigao, and Chris Koon.
UP held off National University 69-61 also in their semis tussle last Wednesday to return to the finals.
Maroons tactician Goldwin said his prized forward Carl Tamayo will suit up in the finals after he suffered a mild ankle sprain injury the last time out.
“Noong tinanong ko iyong PT a while ago, he had a sprained ankle,” Monteverde said, referring to Tamayo. “Pero hindi naman siguro ganoon daw kagrabe, so he’ll be ready for the next game sa finals.”
Tamayo also vowed to play.
“Oo naman. Mild sprain lang naman. Tsaka finals na iyon. Ininda ko nga lahat ng nainda ko.
Pagdating ng finals siyempre wala ng rason para hindi maglaro,” he said.
The likes of 6-foot-11 Senegalese import Malick Diouf, set to be named season MVP, Tamayo, James Spencer, Zavier Lucero, and JD Cagulangan will be counted upon by the Maroons.
UP edged Ateneo 76-71 in their first-round clash last Oct.16 but the Eagles rebounded with a 75-67 triumph when they last met two weeks ago.
