July 25, 2011

Week 2 Top 10: Dominance, and exceptions

A week of college basketball has passed and we're treated, for the most part, a rather predictable slate of results, except for a couple of games. So we have a somewhat predictable Top 10 this week, except for a couple of teams.

#1: Ateneo Blue Eagles
This week results: Defeated NU 86-62 and UE 73-61
In a normal week, a game against NU should be easy and against UE to be tough; this year, it's the other way around. But for the defending champs, it's just like the old days when they had an easy game against the Dawgs and had not-so-blowout win over the Warriors. Don't put the blame solely on Parks: Mbe has shown no improvement.

#2: Adamson Falcons
This week's result: Defeated UST 81-71
Adamson gave UST a dose of reality when they gave the Tigers their first loss of the season. While the Falcons did it on both ends of the court, you'd have to give credit to their offense as they surpassed the 80-point barrier. The boys from San Marcelino can shoot from anywhere from UST's side of the court.

#3: San Beda Red Lions
This week's results: Defeated Arellano 92-67 and CSB 79-78
You can say all day that Frankie Lim is a bad on-game coach. He and staff deserve credit for their full-court defense against the Blazers that ultimately wasted enough time to deny CSB a decent crack at the basket. Traditionally an NCAA team belongs to the top 2 but CSB put up a good fight, hence the Lions, that massacred the hapless Chiefs earlier in the week, go to #3.

#4: San Sebastian Stags
This week's results: Defeated Letran 71-62
What was supposedly the real big bad rivalry of the NCAA was a bummer. The Stags led from start to finish, and Kevin Alas fouling out sealed the fate for the short-handed Knights. Kevin's dad Louie should really find a big man now or else the Intramuros faithful would go impatient.

#5: FEU Tamaraws
This week's results: Defeated UE 66-47 and NU 62-59
Last year's finalists had the same opponents this week, although they had contrasting wins. FEU bounced back from a colder-than-ice-cold start against UE to blow them out convincingly, while they had to muster all of their energies to push off NU at the final play of the game.

#6: Lyceum Pirates
This week's results: Defeated Mapua 76-73, Arellano 84-74
Lyceum coach Bonnie Tan has a system, and if they'd face any NCAA team not directly named after a saint, they have a decent chance of winning. All of their games aside from San Beda and San Sebastian were either wins or a competitive loss (against EAC, of all teams).

#7: De La Salle Green Archers
This week's result: Defeated UP 79-67
The gremlins expectedly won against UP. So that means they're #7 because I hate them with deep passion (LOL). However, you gotta look at coach Dindo Pumaren if he can carry this team to the Finals. Is it time to bring back Bigote?

#8: JRU Heavy Bombers
This week's result: Defeated Mapua 70-69
Surprisingly, the teams on the JRU-Mapua game entered the game with only one win from either side. Unsurprisingly, it ended close, and unsurprisingly, Mapua let go a huge lead.

#9: CSB Blazers
This week's result: Defeated by San Beda 78-79
Only eight teams won this week, so that means I'd have to add 2 teams that lost this week: one of them is the B-team of Taft. The Blazers now have swagger. I dunno if it's the coach (Richard del Rosario) or their fans wearing La Salle shirts, but any CSB game from here on out should not be taken lightly.

#10: Mapua Cardinals
This week's results: Defeated by Lyceum 76-73 and JRU 70-69
How can a winless team get in the top ten? In a week where only eight teams won, you gotta let a losing team get in. It's as if I'd let UE, UST or even NU get this last spot. So I just spent 3/4 of the paragraph justifying this entry so I should just stop.

The trash heap:
#11: UST Growling Tigers: Sorta good offense, defense needs adjustments.
#12: NU Bulldogs: Hey Mbe, Sy is paying big bucks for your scholarship and other amenities (such as escalators on your school) you gotta improve your game somehow.
#13: UP Fighing Maroons: You sorta expect them to lose against La Salle, at least they did not lose by twenty.
#14: Letran Knights: This looks like last season where they'd beat all teams that won't make it to the Final Four, and lose all games against Final Four-bound teams.
#15: UE Red Warriors: You can't really call this team shallow, when their bench and starters are practically the same in quality.
#16: Arellano Chiefs: Sudan Daniel was not the biggest loss in a team this season. It's Isaiah Ciriacruz.

Outside the barrel: (Did not play a game this week)
UPHSD Altas, EAC Generals

Player of the week: Chris Cayabyab of Lyceum
Cayabyab scored 20 points, in 4/9 shooting from beyond the arc, plus 7 rebounds and 5 dimes to lead the Pirates in their win against Mapua.

Games to watch (excluding Monday):
No marquee NCAA games this week, but the UAAP has two must-see games: UP vs. Ateneo, and La Salle vs. NU

See also: Team standings, and magic & tragic numbers -- NCAA, UAAP.

July 21, 2011

Azkals vs. Kuwait: The most important match in Pinoy football history

Ah, yes. For some reason, I love starting posts with "Ah, yes". So, ah, yes, the Azkals' match against the Kuwaitis is upon us. This series is, with no doubt, the most important in the history of football in this country. This will make or break apparent surging popularity of the Azkals. If they lose the series, you can practically kiss football in the country goodbye -- at most it'll be a niche sport like... I dunno. Volleyball?

The Kuwaitis are former Asian champions. The Kuwaitis will be the strongest compeititon the Azkals will face since the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup when they faced Indonesia. However, unlike the series against the Indonesians, we have a home game. As what the Azkals had demonstrated, the home field advantage is a big advantage. In a game where one goal is all that matters, a game on the home field would help any underdog.

We'd have to review that game vs. the Indonesians first. The Azkals lost 0-1 on both matches on Jakarta, both goals scored by Uruguayan-born Indonesian Cristian Gonzales. I forgot how the first goal transpired, but the second goal was virtually impossible for any keeper to save. That got me thinking, if the Azkals played one leg here, what would've been the result? And another question: when did the revamped Azkals faced formidable opposition at home with a chance of progressing?

Now for the Kuwaitis: they're not like the Indonesians. They're stronger and are better funded. And they play in the desert. While the Azkals may have acclimatized already, like the home field here, their home field would be their advantage. However, we have the luck of the draw: we play the second leg. Usually, those who play the second leg at home are the one that advances, unless if the first leg result has a margin of three or more.

Which brings me to the next point: the Azkals must not let the game slip away. Apparently, coach Weiss has this covered as he concentrated on defense. If you look at it, it's the reverse as the visitors should be the one on the offensive as the home team would rather have a goalless draw than a draw with goals scored, or even a win where the visitors scored.

So what is a satisfactory result for the Azkals? A win against the Kuwaitis on their home ground is a massive. A goalless draw, on the other hand, is not that satisfactory: A 1-1 result here means they'd progress. In any case, the Azkals must score; even if they lose, the team has an important away goal. So in essence, a 0-1 loss is better than a 0-0 draw. In two-legged fixtures, winning and losing isn't that important: scoring goals is the key. The Azkals and Mongolia split the series, but the Azkals progressed because they scored more goals. You'd only focus on "winning" if the Kuwaitis won 5-0 at their home and a home win here is needed to save face.

And now, for a rant. I know the phrase "true football fan" has been parodied these days: it implies those who are not "true football fans" don't even deserve to cheer for the Azkals. Nevertheless, "true football fans" must be mighty pissed to hear phrases such as "Sri Lanka Brave Reds," "Philippine Azkals" and "Mongolian Blue Wolves". It's like saying "Liverpool Reds" or "Manchester United Red Devils." You don't combine the place name and the nickname. Either they're "Liverpool" or "The Reds" but never "the Liverpool Reds."

So I implore the Philippine media, to do not use the American way of naming teams to denote football teams, except for those teams in North America and elsewhere that use that nomenclature (such as the Philadelphia Union). We can talk about the Azkals, Brave Reds, Blue Wolves, etc., but please, drop the country name.

July 17, 2011

Inaugural Weekly Top 10 of 2011!

Yay! College basketball season is back! And it restores sports sanity: more people watched the Ateneo-La Salle game (~15,000) vs. the Azkals home game (~12,000). So... is Pinoy basketball really dead?

#1: Ateneo Blue Eagles
This week's result: Defeated DLSU 81-72
The Blue Eagles notch this week's #1 with a defeat over La Salle -- presumably, that is a stronger opponent that any of the yet undefeated teams played against this week. Kiefer Ravena trended worldwide for good reason: he was the first UAAP baller to register 23 points in a half since Dylan Ababou did the feat in 2009. Credit the opponent as Kiefer matched up better against the shorter Archers than the burlier Falcons.

#2: San Sebastian Stags
This week's result: Defeated UPHSD 87-60
Can somebody fill me up on this? Did Topex Robinson had already had contact with the Stags prior to his appointment? While his appointment was really sudden, but not really that surprising since it made sense -- Turo Valenzona functioned sorta like Gerald Ford. Wait, who's Gerald Ford... and Turo Valenzona was their head coach???

#3: UST Growling Tigers
This week's results: Defeated NU 73-72 in OT and UE 70-63
Perhaps everyone knew from the get-go that the Tigers can beat this year's Warriors. But the Bulldogs? Wait, who was the blue chip rookie that landed in Espana? Ah, last year's UAAP Juniors' MVP, that's who! And don't forget Jeric Fortuna's shooting. His turnover stats will surely catch up as the tourney wears on.

#4: San Beda Red Lions
This week's result: Defeated Lyceum 89-69
I could've ranked them higher than Baste, but the 20-point win over the guest team was sorta underwhelming when you compare it to the 27-point beat down by the Stags against the Altas. Then again, the Pirates took the Altas' booty. The real battles for San Beda would be against last year's Final Four teams and Letran: those will prove if they are a contender without a Black dude manning the middle.

#5: Letran Knights
This week's result: Defeated Arellano 88-70
Haven't really paid attention to this game even though I watched it, but it seems that Arellano's defenses were too weak -- they let Letran score 88 points even though they put up a respectable 70.

#6: Adamson Falcons
This week's result: Defeated FEU 78-59
Don't let the final score fool you. FEU was at screaming distance (quite farther than a shouting distance), but after FEU let Adamson pull away for good, the Falcons padded the score thanks to useless fouls from the Tams in a desperate bid to get closer. What went wrong for FEU? Despite Garcia, Romeo and Ramos, well... that's it. They're too shallow this year. Adamson, despite their non-stars, function well as a unit.

#7: CSB Blazers
This week's result: Defeated Mapua 70-67
Ah, the upset of the week. People have been screaming silently about the newly beefed up B-team of Taft, but it seems it is actually bearing fruit right now. Makes you wonder if the 400-strong CSB crowd (with some wearing "LA SALLE" shirts) smelled something that they'd win that one. Altamirano's outside sniping thwarted a Cardinals comeback to notch CSB's first win against a preceding season's Final Four team since... I dunno. Maybe after the time of Caloy Garcia?

#8: UP Fighting Maroons
This week's result: Defeated UE 69-61, defeated by NU 75-66
Hey... NU defeated UP, so why are they ranked higher? As illogical as this sounds, NU was expected to beat UP, UP was expected to beat UE but NU losing to UST was unexpected. Ah what the heck, let's give them this spot before it takes them 2 years to get back here. Nevertheless, it seems that the expectations last year are happening this year, but I dunno how would their supporters feel about that.

#9: JRU Heavy Bombers
This week's result: Defeated EAC 76-60
Njei and that other Black guy whose name I can't remember because I barely saw him play leaving was fatal -- that supposedly gimme game against Arellano was wasted. If they lost out to EAC I could imagine people calling for the Aerial Voyager's head. Their lack of ball handlers -- their perennial problem, if I may add -- seems to be their weakness in beating the less heralded teams this year.

#10: NU Bulldogs
This week's results: Defeated by UST 73-72 in OT, defeated UP 75-66.
Bobby Ray Parks scored 31 points in their win vs. UP. That means he's the first player to reach 30 points in this season. Although he shown tendencies in lebroning in the clutch, he can redeem himself if he leads the 'Dogs to victory in their next game. Against the Eagles.

The Trash Heap:
#11. EAC: Hey chicks and wannabe chicks! Jonas Paguia, the former PBB Teen housemate, is apparently better than that ultimate Survivor dude! The NCAA needs tix! Save the trees!
#12. Lyceum: Are the Pirates "over their quota"? Their game against Arellano would be another "can-win" for them. The others? Not so much.
#13. DLSU: Wait, why are the Archers aren't here? Answer: They lost this week.
#14. FEU: See above.
#15. Arellano: Need to strengthen their defense, particularly against penetrations (Nene Pimentel loves that word) and rampaging big men.
#16. UE: This will be a loooooooong season for the Defense Minister.
#17. Mapua: What went wrong with the Cards? I thought they netted a big man?
#18. UPHSD: See UE, above, replaced "Defense Minister" with "whomever their new coach is".

Player of the Week: Jeric Fortuna (UST) -- I considered several other people, but only Jeric Fortuna had stellar performances on all (if applicable) games this week. Ravena scored a big fat egg on his debut, and Parks also had a "meh" debut. Among the NCAA guys no one was stellar enough: in Baste, both Abueva and Pascual shared scoring duties and in the CSB-Mapua game, the lone competitive NCAA game of the week outside the Lyceum-EAC game, Jan Tan had the game high 15 points: not exactly player of the week material.

Games to see this week:
July 20 @Filoil: SSC-R vs. CSJL -- No NCAA rivalry is truer than this one.
July 21 @Araneta: ADMU vs. NU -- Parks vs. Ravena... and Slaughter.
July 24 @Philsports: UST vs. AdU -- Potential playoffs matchup?

Note: An earlier version said that Kiefer Ravena set a 2-year record when he scored 30 points in the Ateneo-La Salle game. That was wrong -- Ravena tied the record on most points in a half.

July 8, 2011

West Tigers redux? See for yourself!

See the logo used for San Beda Red Lions in a fan-made wallpaper? The fierce-looking red lion?
c/o postimage
Doesn't that look like the Detroit Lions logo? (See the pic after the jump.)

c/o ESPN

This was not the first time a local sports team ripped off from overseas. Remember the UST Growling Tigers logo several seasons ago? Ripped off from the West Tigers rugby team from Aussieland.
Not the same time either someone from the MVP camp was accused of intellectual dishonesty, if I may add.

July 2, 2011

Quick hits: NCAA Opening

NCAA was like a week late this year. Must be the first time in years they opened in July. Anyone know the reason? Anyway, here are the day's quick hits, judging by the linescores as I was not able to watch them (haha):

San Beda 82, UPHSD 52
I don't think any thing else has to be added here, except that maybe Perps should strongly reconsider letting their other tall guy play. Probably no school would raise a fuss, it's as if Boss Anton is at the Management Committee. San Beda can still easily clinch a semifinal berth, and by that time Sudan might be ready.

San Sebastian 73, JRU 67
What went wrong for JRU? And, it was brilliant Baste got Topex Robinson as their new head coach. Coach Turo's too old, and the last time we saw him, he was clobbered heavily at the elections. And if they don't progress, Vergel Meneses may be on his way out.

Letran 75, Mapua 65
The Battle of Intramuros must be the suki for opening day games. Seriously, who does the schedules? And as no one outside the Big Dome saw this game, you'd wonder how the game transpired as the teams were locked early. Did Mapua run of out gas? Or is this the same old Mapua mentality where they wilt at the end game?

Sunday's games: San Sebastian vs. JRU and Letran vs. Mapua (Jrs)
Monday's games: CSB vs. Lyceum and Arellano vs. EAC (Jrs/Srs)