UAAP Finals offers a lot of firsts for UP, La Salle, Topex and Lopez

UAAP Finals offers a lot of firsts for UP, La Salle, Topex and Lopez

AS the old saying goes, numbers don’t lie.

And it is through a few key numbers in which SPIN.ph will offer a thrilling preview of what promises to be a heart-pounding affair for the UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball championship between University of the Philippines and De La Salle.

Here’s what you should know about the Maroons and Archers’ forthcoming title showdown by the numbers.

READ: Former teammates turn foes, old rivals meet again in UAAP Finals

0

Whether you consider zero as a number or not, it does prove relevant to the discussion on the forthcoming men’s basketball finals.

One may have a handful of questions about this championship battle, such as the number of times UP and La Salle fought for the UAAP men’s basketball crown before, or how many top-seed finishes UP had prior to Season 86.

mark nonoy

PHOTO: UAAP Season 86 Media Team

There could also be a bit more intricate and detail-oriented pondering on how many players had multiple triple-doubles in a season other than the league’s prospective runaway MVP in Kevin Quiambao.

Or maybe even something like the number of double-digit winning margins by either UP or La Salle against each other in the last five years.

The answer to all these?

Zero.

1

This title series, and season altogether, carry many firsts for both finalists.

La Salle head coach Topex Robinson’s first season in charge will also feature his first UAAP Finals appearance in the league’s first-ever UP-La Salle championship bout.

Also getting their first taste of UAAP Finals action in the seniors ranks alongside Robinson are the debuting aces from both squads, led by Rookie of the Year frontrunners Francis Lopez (UP) and Jonnel Policarpio (La Salle).

francis lopez, malick diouf

PHOTO: Patrick Romero

On the maroon side of things, graduating UP captain CJ Cansino returns for what will now be his first and last Finals stint since being sidelined for the entirety of Season 85 with an ACL tear.

And it will also be a whole new battlefield for UP, in particular, in its first Finals series which won’t be against Katipunan rival Ateneo since the Maroons’ last championship win over University of the East in 1986.

They say you’ll never forget your life’s firsts, but the only thing the Maroons and Archers must keep in mind is the one ultimate prize for the taking in this title series.

6

The number six means quite a few things in relation to this title series.

Back in the elimination round, UP and La Salle split their season series and contested two close matches which the Maroons won by three in Round 1 and the Archers won by nine in Round 2.

The average winning margin? Six points.

Meanwhile, for UP head coach Goldwin Monteverde, after six years at the helm at Chang Kai-shek College and six years in the UAAP juniors division, a championship finish in UP’s sixth finals appearance (Seasons 2, 49, 81, 84, 85, and 86) will be of utmost priority for the decorated mentor.

goldwin monteverde

PHOTO: UAAP Season 86 Media Team

In addition, six of his former Nazareth School of National University (NSNU) Bullpups who were part of their title-winning 16-game sweep in Season 82 are at the forefront of this year’s seniors finals.

Five of which are playing under his wing at UP in Gerry Abadiano, Terrence Fortea, Harold Alarcon, Reyland Torres, and Janjan Felicilda.

The other one in La Salle? Quiambao.

And what the MVP frontrunner would want to accomplish by the end of the title series, more than just ending La Salle’s six-game Finals drought, is to give La Salle its 10th championship trophy on the silver anniversary of their first-ever UAAP crown in 1989.

8

As it stands, eight players combined from both schools will be graduating by the end of this championship series.

Among such senior aces include Evan Nelle, Mark Nonoy, Ben Phillips, Joaqui Manuel, and Francis Escandor for La Salle and captain Cansino, reigning MVP Malick Diouf, and JD Cagulangan for UP.

Eight has seemingly become La Salle’s lucky number this season.

From riding an eight-game win streak to end the elimination round to moving on the cusp of what could be their eighth title in the Final Four era (10th overall), it’ll be up to them to see if eight is indeed a lucky one for the Taft side.

undefined

PHOTO: UAAP Season 86 Media Team

Not to mention that Quiambao also has inside track on becoming the first local player to win UAAP MVP since Kiefer Ravena last won the top individual nod eight years ago.

For the Maroons’ veterans, moreover, building on UP’s newfound championship pedigree which was first set over eight decades ago (1939) now lies at the core of their final mission.

This, as Monteverde, who has coached in and ruled the UAAP for the last eight seasons both in the juniors and seniors ranks prior to this campaign, looks to finish Season 86 off with a splash of gold.

12

From taking over the reins at San Sebastian in 2011, Robinson now enters the climax of his 12th year as a coach fighting for a championship with La Salle.

topex robinson

PHOTO: UAAP

And 12 also happens to be the number of years he spent as a player himself since he started in 1999 before wearing the headmaster’s hat.

Although La Salle fell one win short of 12 prelims wins, which UP managed to hit for the No. 1 seed, the championship pedigree of two esteemed schools with 12 UAAP men’s basketball titles combined will be on full display when the title series tips off in two days’ time.

37 (and 86)

37 long years have passed since the year 1986 as we now reach the climax of UAAP Season 86.

Not only was 1986 a year of revolution in Philippine history, but it was also the year when La Salle joined the UAAP six years after its exit from the NCAA.

And in a span of 37 years since 1986, it will only be this year in Season 86 in which UP and La Salle will meet in the UAAP men’s basketball finals.

Simply put, the two schools have never shared the stage for a shot at the UAAP championship.

Until now.

cj cansino, up maroons

PHOTO: Patrick Romero

And it all begins on Wednesday, two days away from this day, when the Maroons and Archers tip off in Game One of the best-of-three men’s basketball finals, 6 p.m. at the Mall of Asia Arena.