By the Numbers (Sept. 16-19)

The stage is finally set for the Finals of Season 73 of the UAAP Men’s Basketball Tournament. It is only fitting that the two teams with the best records after the first two rounds meet in the championship. Far Eastern University (FEU) and Ateneo de Manila University earned tickets to the Last Dance after disposing De La Salle University and Adamson University, respectively. The two finalists had opposite routes to the finals as FEU fought tooth and nail in the Final Four, while Ateneo hardly broke a sweat. Still, both squads equally deserve to be in the ultimate round and they have to wait for five more days before they begin their much-awaited skirmish. In the meantime, here are some numbers to ponder from last week.

1

The number of times FEU and Ateneo have met in the championship in the Final Four era (1994 up to present). That lone finals meeting was in 2003, wherein the Tamaraws swept the Blue Eagles in their best-of-three series. The Morayta squad scored an 83-65 win in Game 1 and a title-clinching 69-53 victory in Game 2. FEU was bannered by Arwind Santos, Denok Miranda, and Mark Isip, while Ateneo was led by Rich Alvarez, Larry Fonacier, and L.A. Tenorio.

27%

The field goal percentage of Adamson in their 68-55 loss to Ateneo yesterday—the worst shooting clip of the team this season. The Soaring Falcons succumbed to the pressure of the stingy Blue Eagles defense as they hurried up their attempts and forced too many shots. They shot 14-of-45 (31.1%) from the two-point area and 3-of-18 (16.7%) from beyond the arc. Adamson’s previous season low was 28.8%, which was also against Ateneo last August 29. Talk about déjà vu.

0


The number of wins by Adamson in the Final Four. Since the league instituted the format in 1994, the Soaring Falcons have entered the semifinals twice but failed to come out with the victory in both games. Incidentally, they lost to the Blue Eagles in those two unfortunate outings: 76-73 in 2006 and 68-55 yesterday. Adamson is joined by National University (0-1) and the University of the Philippines (0-2) in the unenviable group of teams without a Final Four win.

19

The number of rebounds grabbed by FEU’s Reil Cervantes in their win over La Salle last Thursday—the most by any player in Final Four history. The burly forward dominated the glass all game long as he helped the Tamaraws squeeze past the Green Archers in overtime, 69-59, and advance to the Finals. Cervantes collared 11 defensive caroms and added eight more from the offensive end. With his exploits, FEU enjoyed a telling 64-46 edge on the rebounding department.

3-of-24

The combined field goals of La Salle’s Simon Atkins and Sam Marata in their Final Four loss to FEU. No shooting was displayed by the star shooting guards of the Green Archers as they struggled to find the range against the Tamaraws. They shot 1-of-7 from two-point distance and an atrocious 2-of-17 from three-point territory. Atkins, the team’s leading scorer, finished with only seven points, while Marata ended up with six. As a team, La Salle shot an appalling 28.3%.

Paolo Mariano, UAAP Home