THIS IS WHAT NU MUST DO TO GET PAST LA SALLE AND BACK INTO FINALS

REDEMPTION was the theme for both National U and La Salle coming into UAAP Season 88.

One wanted to reclaim its position at the top of the totem pole after suffering a heartbreaking defeat in the finals a year ago.

The other wanted to show they're far better than the team which wallowed at the cellar last season.

Now, only one team's revenge tour will continue, as the Bulldogs and the Green Archers collide in the Final Four on Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Let's take a look at three key points which may very well define this series that tips off at 1:30 p.m.

Dogs do the caging

All season long, coach Jeff Napa's boys have made defense their bread and butter.

And it showed, with NU ranking second in points allowed at 66.86 points, second in field goal percentage allowed at 36.96-percent, and first in steals with 9.0 swipes per game.

It's an all-out assault led by seniors Jake Figueroa, Steve Nash Enriquez, and Jolo Manansala who have all dialled the D to drive the Bulldogs to the very top of the standings.

It also doesn't help that La Salle is one of the more wasteful teams this campaign, turning the ball over 12.43 times per outing, second-most in the league.

If the Green Archers get bullied on defense, expect this series to be a quick one.

Ground and pound

What's working in La Salle's favor, however, is its size with Mike Phillips, joined at the frontcourt by Luis Pablo, Bright Nwankwo, and just-returned Mason Amos.

The green-and-white are second in the league in points in the paint at 34.86 per contest, and fare better in rebounding at 43.07 boards against the gold-and-blue's 39.03.

Size does indeed favor the Taft side which has a considerably taller ceiling compared to Jhocson's which has the likes of Omar John, PJ Palacielo, and Kenshin Padrones.

They say the one who controls the rebounds control the game, and it's going to be crucial who crashes the boards more.

Full throttle

The scary thing about NU is that as tough as it plays on defense, it also possesses that reckless abandon on offense.

Enriquez, together with backcourt peers Reinhard Jumamoy, Paul Francisco, and Tebol Garcia have all gone out of their way to push the ball, with the Bulldogs ranking first in fastbreak points at 11.5 per contest.

Compare that to the more deliberate approach of La Salle's Jacob Cortez, Jcee Macalalag, and Doy Dungo, with the Green Archers' guards only manufacturing 6.36 fastbreak points, seventh in the league.

The scarier thing for La Salle? NU isn't scared in heaving it from the outside.

The Bulldogs rank second in the league at 32.64-percent shooting from distance, a far better mark than the Green Archers who have struggled to hit it from deep and only converted 27.46-percent.

READ: Baclaan marks date for return in La Salle semis showdown with NU

Kean Baclaan's return should help in that department, but the other gunners, namely Cortez, Amos, and Earl Abadam, should connect from deep to have a chance to extend this duel.

2025-12-03T02:15:05Z