It seems like the only constants in life are death, taxes, and the Adamson Soaring Falcons needing a playoff to decide their fate in the UAAP. Thankfully, they’ve got a good handle when a spot in the Final Four is on the line. 

The Soaring Falcons have once again entered the postseason by the skin of their teeth after outclassing the slumping UE Red Warriors. Adamson knew it was going to be a battle in the trenches, and they devoted all their efforts to attacking inside and finding openings off it. The interior game was critical for the Soaring Falcons, who used a variety of sets to get points off drives, drop passes, and the pick-and-roll. Nevermind the Red Warriors’ 3-point shooting; Adamson could not be denied inside. 

Soaring Falcons head coach Nash Racela continues to have a knack for maximizing the talent in his roster by reaching milestones only they believed they could. Racela’s teams don’t have the resources of the DLSU Green Archers, Ateneo Blue Eagles, and even the UST Growling Tigers, but he has won a UAAP championship with the FEU Tamaraws in an era dominated by Green Archer and Blue Eagle title runs. In Adamson, he has developed his players and given them more reps as they got better, and that has allowed him to keep a core of players to rely on even with the Soaring Falcons. 

The rest of the league was in the thick of the arms race that is the UAAP offseason, but with Adamson, Racela has largely relied on who they had and what they believed in. And now the results speak for themselves. 

Winning the playoff, however, gave the Soaring Falcons the right to face the defending champions in La Salle, who beat them by an average of 27.5 points in their elimination round matchups. Making matters worse is the fact that Adamson scores the least points per game in the league (57.3) and will be facing the UAAP’s top scoring team (74.2). Yes, the Soaring Falcons boasting limit their opponents to a league-best 61.4 points per game, but DLSU is 1-1 when scoring less than 60 points per game, with the loss coming in a non-bearing game against the NU Bulldogs.  

For a team like Adamson, though, a puncher’s chance is all they’ll need and the best way to steal at least one game from the Green Archers is to cut them down to size. The Soaring Falcons draw the least amount of free throw attempts per game at 16.3, so they’ll need to do more of that to keep La Salle’s main men out. Adamson will also have to hold the line in the paint as they have done for much of the season, but it will be tough given DLSU’s vaunted frontcourt led by presumptive two-time UAAP MVP Kevin Quiambao. 

It’ll be much easier said than done since not only do the Green Archers more or less commit the same number of fouls Adamson does, but also because La Salle has one of the best defenses and are deep enough to keep the same energy. 

But then again, hope springs eternal and even an ounce of optimism is all Nash Racela and the Adamson Soaring Falcons need to exceed expectations.