The UP Fighting Maroons are saying all the right things about Sunday being just another game, but make no mistake: this one carries a little more weight.
The UP players may not openly admit it, but this Sunday’s showdown between the defending champions DLSU Green Archers and the unbeaten Fighting Maroons has likely been circled on their calendars ever since the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball schedule came out.
It won’t just be a battle that will determine who finishes first after the first round. It will also be the first time the two sides will meet since Game 3 of the Season 86 finals, where the Green Archers turned it around in the last six minutes to bag the title and leave the Fighting Maroons wondering what went wrong.
Six games into Season 87, both teams have played true to form. The Fighting Maroons have won all their games so far by double digits, and while the Green Archers (5-1) stumbled against the surging UE Red Warriors, they enter Sunday’s match-up on the heels of an impressive 21-point beatdown of the UST Growling Tigers.
But between the two sides, it’s clear the Fighting Maroons have a bigger bone to pick, even if they have been publicly saying that it’s just another game.
“Well, of course, as a former player, I’m sure, even if they don’t say it, there’s like a chip on their shoulder because we lost to La Salle last year,” UP assistant coach Christian Luanzon told The GAME moments after they topped the Growling Tigers. “We were what, six minutes away from the title? And that’s something that I’m sure they’re bringing into the season.”
Fighting Maroons guard Gerry Abadiano told The GAME they will be approaching the game against the Green Archers the same way they approached their six previous opponents.
“Wala namang bago siguro para sa amin,” he said. “Kasi every game, kahit sinong kalaban, same approach lang kami. Mag-stick lang kami sa game plan namin, sa system namin. And kahit sinong makalaban, LaSalle, or UST, or whatever, wala namang bago. Same mindset lang kami, same approach lang kami.”
“So walang extra motivation to sweep the first round.”
When pressed, though, Abadiano did concede that the La Salle game will probably carry just a little more weight.
“May kaunting motivation kasi sa nangyari last season. Siyempre kasi masakit iyon para sa amin. Itong next game, yung parang start na kami na patunayan talaga at sana makuha namin ang panalo.”
For Harold Alarcon, who has topscored for UP in their last two games, the key against La Salle is confidence, but not too much of it.
“Confidence, okay pa rin iyan paparating sa La Salle game. Pero iniisip namin na baka sobra na ang confidence namin [at] mag-complacent kami. Ni-re-remind lang namin ang bawat isa na stay leveled.
“Malayo pa ang UAAP. Patapos pa lang ang first round. Hindi naman ang first round ang goal namin, eh. Hindi naman ang second round ang goal namin, eh. Ang goal talaga namin is iyong tapos ng UAAP, championship.”

The KQ Factor
Without a doubt, the one player who will be front and center of Sunday’s game is Kevin Quiambao, the reigning MVP who is also leading the tournament in scoring.
Quiambao’s ties to both sides run deep. While he has become one of the best players in DLSU basketball history (and that’s saying a lot), he played for Goldwin Monteverde and Luanzon in high school with the NUNS Bullpups, where he was teammates with Abadiano, Alarcon, Terrence Fortea, Janjan Felicilda and Reyland Torres.
He is also hands down the best player in the league for two seasons now, so any game plan to defeat La Salle will have to revolve around him.
“Kevin, playing for us when he was in high school, obviously, there’s that familiarity factor, but he is a much different, a much better player now, obviously,” Luanzon said. “Those are things that we’re going to have to talk about starting [Wednesday] night.”
Luanzon understands that it’s difficult to fully shut down players like Quiambao and that the next option is to try and limit their movement and output.
“Well, he’s the MVP. Anytime you’re a key player on any team, you draw attention. So I think what’s important is that we limit him to what he’s doing…If we could limit his touches, his attempts. And obviously the points will follow.
“I think what’s important is that no matter what happens in the game, the players will play every possession having a short-term memory, whether he hits a three with a hand in his face or he misses one. So it’s important to have the next-play mentality. And then give ourselves a chance in the end to win.”
Forward Francis Lopez, who had some success guarding Quiambao in the second half of the FilOil Preseason Cup championship game last June, will approach Sunday’s game with the same mindset he’s had for all previous UP games.
“You just got to be ready in every game, especially on defense. Tough teams. We have a lot of tougher teams this season compared to last year. Just got to keep on defending the teams that we’re going to be facing, especially LaSalle. Most definitely for Kevin Quambao. He was the MVP last year.
“He’s going to be a really key player for DLSU. Coaches are going to talk about what we’re going to do for him, especially. Just got to keep our heads up for this one.”
Yet while the game against the defending champs on Sunday might carry multiple narratives, the Fighting Maroons know that their approach cannot radically change.
“One thing that Coach Gold always mentioned is that, obviously, it only takes one point to win a game. It also takes one point to lose a game.
“So, the meaning of that is, what we emphasize in our culture here at UP, is that valuing each possession, regardless of who we play. That’s why our preparation, whether it’s a team that is on top of the standings, or a team that’s below the standings, the preparation is always the same.”
Images from UAAP Media Bureau.