Filoil Flying V Preseason Cup: National U Bulldogs win a close game against the FEU Tamaraws

Alfred Aroga of National University goes for an easy layup in the game against FEU.
(Photo by Roy Afable)

The National University Bulldogs are by far one of the top teams in the 2013 Filoil Flying V Preseason Cup. They are after all the the defending champs in this Summer hoops tournament. In their game against FEU on Tuesday, this clearly reminded me of their, shall we say, intense rivalry back in UAAP season 75.

UAAP 74 hoops Elimination Round and Final Four recap

Aldrech Ramos of FEU goes for a reverse layup.
(Photo by Roy Afable)

It's almost the end of the road for this season's UAAP basketball action. A lot of things happened in the last few games of the Elimination Round and the Final Four. Without further ado, let's take a look back at the games that made head turns:

Recap of UAAP 74 hoops action

Win one for "20".
(Photo by Roy Afable)

The end of the elimination round of UAAP hoops is getting closer. While the Blue Eagles remain on top, other teams are still trying to secure a spot in the Final Four. Here's a roundup of what happened last week:

UAAP 74 Hoops roundup

Ateneo Blue Eagles center Greg Slaughter dunks on Lord Casajeros of the UE Red Warriors.
(Photo by Roy Afable)

The UAAP Final Four looms closer. Top teams like UST, DLSU, FEU and ADU are looking to get a better spot for semis. The defending champs Ateneo Blue Eagles are still on top of the standings but the 2nd, 3rd and 4th spots are very much up for grabs. Let's take a look back at the games for the final week of August:

UAAP 74 hoops weekend recap

Adamson's Austin Manyara blocks the shot of FEU's Carl Cruz.
The FEU Tamaraws defeated the Adamson Falcons 62-61 last Sunday.
(Photo by Roy Afable)

The road to the Final Four continues as round 2 of the tournament is getting even more competitive. Top teams in the UAAP still look to topple the undefeated Ateneo Blue Eagles -- also reigning and defending champs, by the way. With that in mind, let's take a look back at what happened in last weekend's UAAP hoops:

UAAP 74 hoops recap

DLSU's Norbert Torres goes for a jump-hook in a game against UST.
(Photo by Roy Afable)

With College basketball heating up and the second half of UAAP hoops already in full effect, things are getting more interesting. Every team is looking to shake things up as the road to the Final Four continues. Without further ado, here's a look back what made some noise last week:

Recap of last week's UAAP 74 hoops

Ateneo Blue Eagles rookie Kiefer Ravena pulls up for a jumper against FEU's Aldrech Ramos.
Ateneo defeated FEU 69-49 last Sunday.
(Photo by Roy Afable)

The race to the final four is getting closer and a few teams aim to bounce back from their losses. As the second round of UAAP 74 basketball looms, let's take a look back at last week's games that made heads turn:

A Week of UAAP 74 hoops PWN4G3 and Upsets

National U's Bobby Ray Parks Jr. pumps his fist in an upset win over the Adamson Falcons.
(Photo by Roy Afable)

Another week of UAAP basketball made headlines once again. The elimination round is just getting warmed up. Defending champs Ateneo Blue Eagles have no problems getting it done on the court and have yet to be toppled by a team this season. With that in mind, let's take look back at last week's hoops action:

Growling Tigers on the prowl

Karim Abdul of UST is a dominant force in the paint.
(Photo by Roy Afable)

In 2006, the University of Santo Tomas captured their UAAP title under then first time coach Pido Jarencio. His team defeated another rookie coach at the time in the form of Norman Black with the Blue Eagles. It was a different story when the return of DLSU in UAAP basketball coming off a year of hiatus the following year -- their hopes of a two peat began to fade. The Green Archers were shooting arrows once more and rekindled their rivalry with the Blue Eagles. UST remained a Final Four team but then it has been a tough mountain to climb for the Tigers ever since.

The day UE got Maroon'd

Paolo Romero of UP secures the rebound.
(Photo by Roy Afable)

The University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons obviously would like to forget last season. So they decided to get a new coach and recruited new players to beef up their roster hoping to erase the "whipping boys" tag on them. Fil-Am Swingman Mike Silungan doesn't appreciate his team being called as such let alone having to go through thing for the upcoming season. A player like him with incredible talent is hungry for just one thing: Win.

All systems go for the Opening Ceremonies of UAAP 74

(Image via Wikipedia.org)

The much anticipated 74th season of the UAAP will be in full blast on July 9. The opening ceremonies will go Olympic style at the Marikina Sports park will officially begin at 4 pm. The event won't have the usual double-header hoops action but will instead have a parade of UAAP athletes from their respective schools and have torch relay run featuring PBA Legend and former Ateneo Blue Eagle Olsen Racela.

National U destroys UE, FEU dumps UP

The National University Lady Bulldogs somehow got their revenge when they lost to the FEU Lady Tamaraws for the 5th spot in the standings. With the University of the East Lady Warriors playing in their worst season to date, getting a win should be an easy one. True enough, that's exactly what the Lady Bulldogs did on Saturday.

UP beats UE, FEU tames NU

The University of the East Lady Warriors haven't been at their best as of late. They sure had their behinds whooped by Ateneo last Wednesday. Clearly, UE Coach Vangie De Jesus has a lot of work to do for her squad. The possibility finishing at the bottom of the standings could very well be a nightmare she never wanted to experience for this season.

Adamson dumps NU, Ateneo whips UE

Ateneo's Gretchen Ho on the attack.
(Photo by Roy Afable)

This is like deja vu for Ateneo and Adamson U. Both teams still tied in 3rd place and in must win games in the same day yet again. Not exactly what they had in mind. One thing's for sure, losing is not an option. On the brighter side, they both face struggling teams, the NU Lady Bulldogs and UE Lady Warriors respectively. At least both UE and NU have something in common though, they got swept by DLSU and UST last Saturday.

La Salle and UST sweep opponents in Day 21

UST's Valerie Amar (no. 18) tips the ball over UE's blockers.
(Photo by Roy Afable)

The National University Lady Bulldogs haven't been playing good volleyball lately. Their game against Ateneo about a couple of weeks ago didn't sit too well for them. With their toughest schedule in the tournament, getting a W on La Salle would mean a step closer to the Final Four -- or so they thought.

It's pretty much another day in the office for the La Salle Lady Archers. They've been steamrolling every single opponent they played. They easily snapped the Lady Tams streak last Wednesday and they look to do the same thing on the Lady Bulldogs. The Ladies in Green have been on a mission all season long.

DLSU snap FEU's streak, AdU win big on UE

When the Lady Archers are out dominating UAAP Women's Volleyball, they could care less about that little setback, right? I mean, come on?!! They just simply let their game do the talking for them -- like their game against UE last Sunday -- and nothing else. Period. That's pretty much the same thing for the FEU Lady Tams who have been steamrolling their opponents in the last couple of weeks. Just ask the Adamson Lady Falcons.

Lady Archers still on top, FEU hangs on for 3rd straight win

They are no longer the unbeaten Lady Archers via a technicality. Well, at least suffering one loss is better than dropping 4 games, right? On Saturday, DLSU look to add another W to their list. Ironically, the University of the East Lady Warriors were also on the receiving end of the latter and would love to regain some boost in the 2nd round against their Green counterparts.

UAAP issues suspension of 4 Volleybelles

Still on top: The DLSU Lady Archers remain the number 1 team
in the UAAP Women's Volleyball sans the controversy.
(Photo by Roy Afable)

The DLSU Lady Archers were making some noise last week. I'm not talking about their unbeaten streak in the UAAP. Word has it that two of La Salle's Volleybelles reportedly played for another tournament while the UAAP games are ongoing. This is not actually the first time Team Green was hit by a similar setback.

FEU start own win streak, DLSU shoot down Adamson

After scoring their first ever win in the second round, they now look to continue racking up W's. Must be a good year for the Lady Tams to begin with. Maica Morada was very much pleased with her teammates performance. Having a taste of a first victory surely lifted their confidence up.

DLSU still unbeaten, UST rips NU

Fresh from their holiday break, the De La Salle Lady Archers simply picked up where they left off -- win games. So far, they're having the best season to date as they remain on top of the standings. On Saturday, they faced the University of the East Lady Warriors to extend their streak. What better way to kickoff 2011 and wrap up the first round with a bang.