(Photo Credit: Mico Ongkeko, The GUIDON) Ateneo Blue Eagles def. De La Salle Green Archers 88-86 Notable Players Thirdy Ravena, Ateneo (17 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals): Thirdy Ravena, best local in the UAAP. HANDS. DOWN. Chibueze Ikeh, Ateneo (12 points, 13 rebounds, 2 blocks): The points are a huge bonus, but what truly mattered was the A+ defense on Ben Mbala, and the constant activity which he showed on both ends of the floor. An absolute masterpiece by Ikeh. GG2EZ4CHIBUEZE. Ben Mbala, La Salle (19 points, 14 rebounds, 3 blocks): It wasn't easy for Ben, but we can't deny this: Even in his worst games, Ben Mbala is still the best player in college basketball BAR NONE. Quick Analysis: - That my friends, is how do or die basketball games should be play. There were jitters, but both teams played TERRIFIC basketball on both ends, and put their bodies on the line all for the sake of a championship. Last year, it felt like Ateneo was lucky to be t...

(Photo Credit: Christopher Cancio, The GUIDON)  Ateneo Blue Eagles def. De La Salle Green Archers 76-70 Notable Players: Thirdy Ravena, Ateneo (12 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists): What a way for Thirdy to start off his second Finals campaign. His stats may not pop-out, but this was one of Thirdy's best games yet. Controlled, smart play from the best local in the league. Mike (11 points, 5 rebounds) and Matt (11 points, 3 assists) Nieto, Ateneo: Matt was his usual steady self despite nursing a nasty cut in the left eyebrow, while Mike played some tough, smart basketball despite his lack of height to push Ateneo during the fourth quarter. These twins are special. Chibueze Ikeh, Ateneo (4 points, 9 rebounds): Offensively, Ikeh was terrible. He showed us how NOT to run a hi-low play (seriously, a pass to Raffy Verano from the top with two defenders on Raffy) and missed a ton of gimmes. But defensively? He was INCREDIBLE. The very fact that he held his ground versus Mbal...

(Photo Credit: Mico Ongkeko, The GUIDON) Ateneo Blue Eagles def. FEU Tamaraws 88-84 Notable Players: Thirdy Ravena, Ateneo (17 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists): We can talk about his lack of a clutch gene all we want but we cannot deny the game-long brilliance of Thirdy Ravena. He was aggressive all game long, taking it to the rim without any hesitation. Good things happen to Ateneo when Thirdy is locked in. Chibueze Ikeh, Ateneo (16 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals): We can joke about him all we want, but when it mattered, Ikeh actually delivered. His aggressiveness in the inside during the overtime period immediately set the tone for the Blue Eagles, as they immediately pounced on FEU's lack of an inside presence.  Matt Nieto (16 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists) and Isaac Go (13 points, 9 rebounds), Ateneo: CLUTCH. BIG SHOTS. These two showed the epitome of having a good heart AND a sound mind. Jasper Parker, FEU (19 points, 4 rebounds): Absolutely ballsy performanc...

(Photo Credit: John Oranga, Fabilioh) When Thirdy Ravena put Regie Boy Basibas on a poster (yes, it was a poster, he was part of the shot, carry on) yesterday, the internet immediately exploded. The dunk was life-changing. Maybe even more life-changing than the fast-break alley-oop dunk which Ben Mbala did last year versus Ateneo. But that's for another conversation. The first thing that came into people's minds regarding Thirdy's dunk was how athletic and explosive Thirdy is. The raw power he showed to get to shove that ball into the rim as if it was a piece of garbage he's been meaning to throw for quite some time now was an utter beauty to watch. Others even went as far as to compare it to dunks by LeBron James and Russell Westbrook. However, there were other notable things from that very sequence. And it is those very things which make the Ateneo Blue Eagles such a great basketball team. Before the dunk by Thirdy, the Blue Eagles ran some nifty mo...

(Photo Credit: Christopher Cancio, The GUIDON) Ateneo Blue Eagles def. UST Growling Tigers 102-83 Notable Players Thirdy Ravena, Ateneo (20 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, ONE MONSTER DUNK): I can't wait for the day Thirdy develops a jump shot. I'm running for dear life once he develops a jump shot. Or maybe he just dunks from the three-point line and it counts as three points. Matt Nieto, Ateneo (19 points, 5/7 3FG, 3 assists): Matt was noted for taking seven of his eight shots from rainbow country, but it was a result of the offense rather than him forcing it. Great decision making and steady play from Matt overall. Chibueze Ikeh, Ateneo (5 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists): We can still joke about Ikeh all we want, but we should take him seriously as well. He's been so handy for Coach Tab. More than his size, his sheer composure and ability to pass has been huge for Ateneo. Oliver De Guzman, UST (19 points, 5 rebounds): De Guzman continues to ...

(Photo Credit: Zach Garcia, The GUIDON) Ateneo Blue Eagles def. Adamson Soaring Falcons 71-59 Notable Players: Thirdy Ravena, Ateneo (15 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists): We can argue about his clutch gene all day long, but there's no doubt about it: Thirdy Ravena is the second best player in the league. Bar none. Chibueze Ikeh, Ateneo (7 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block): Ikeh was respectable in his match-up versus Sarr, putting up solid number across the board. He still has moments where you're left scratching your head, but you can't deny his improvement.  Papi Sarr, Adamson (15 points, 9 rebounds, 6 turnovers): Adamson ran most of their sets around Sarr, which did not work as well as they hoped for. Sarr got his numbers, but the rest of his team could not get going. Quick Analysis: - Adamson is a team which uses the press to limit possessions rather than to increase them to their favor. They did a good job at doing that (76.08 Pace) versus Ateneo...

(Photo Credit: Tristan Tamayo, INQUIRER.net) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT'S TIMEEEEEEEEEEE! It's Ateneo-La Salle weekend, and unlike last year's first round match-up, this match is looking to be a tight one. Both teams are set to finish with the top two seeds by the end of the first round (regardless of the result of the game), so I can assure you we're getting a match between the two best teams in the league. Obviously, there are a number of key questions for this game. There's issues with pace, running pristine offenses, and of course, determining who will win the most awaited match-up of this year. The entire Scout's Notebook PH team along with writers from The GUIDON, The LaSallian and Humblebola, came in and helped answer these key questions. Here are our answers: 1. Just how important of a factor will pace be for this game? Context: La Salle and Ateneo play at contrasting paces with each other. La Salle sports the fastest pace at 94.73 while Ate...

(Photo Credit: John Oranga, Fabilioh)  Ateneo Blue Eagles def. NU Bulldogs 96-83 Notable players: Chibueze Ikeh, ADMU (18 points, 11 rebounds, 7/9 FG %): Chibueze was doing absolutely everything ranging from scoring in both the paint and perimeter, hitting his free throws, blocking, great picks to even amazing passes. He looked like a completely different person and his confidence definitely boosted his game to enable him to lead Ateneo to victory. Vince Tolentino, ADMU (15 points, 7/9 FG %): Vince was delivering when it counted the most which was towards the latter part of the game. Despite only a limited number of rebounds and assists, he went in for the kill and achieved these vital aspects when NU was making a run of their own. He just needs to be more consistent with his free throws given that his game is more inside than out. Jayjay Alejandro, NU (24 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists) : He was just an absolute torch for the Bulldogs squad and a pest for the Blu...

(Photo Credit: John Oranga, Fabilioh) Final Score: Ateneo Blue Eagles def. Adamson Soaring Falcons 85-65 Notable Players: Chibueze Ikeh, Ateneo (18 points, 17 rebounds): Ben Mbala has met his match. All jokes aside, major props for Ikeh in this game. He took advantage of the stage given to him courtesy of Papi Sarr's absence and made the poor Soaring Falcons pay. Highly unlikely he replicates such a line again, but this is a huge confidence booster for the much-maligned Ikeh. Thirdy Ravena, Ateneo (20 points, 10 rebounds): Ikeh's been the talk of Ateneans, but Thirdy was arguably the MVP of Ateneo in this game. He looked to force things early on by taking threes, but he went to his strengths come the second half by using his slashing to create for himself and his teammates. He's always had the tools to dominate, so Ateneans better hope he keeps this up. Jolo Mendoza, Ateneo (14 points, 3/4 3FG): No one has ever doubted Jolo Mendoza's talent. The biggest g...