A game between rivals is always a crowd-drawer, especially if it’s a game between the DLSU Green Archers and the ADMU Blue Eagles. 

It was a back-and-forth affair that saw the Green Archers and the Blue Eagles trade points, with the latter eventually holding an 88-78 lead with 5:17 left in the fourth quarter. 

However, La Salle would eventually bring the lead to single digits and thanks to some clutch baskets from former Blue Eagle Mason Amos, Kean Baclaan, and Jacob Cortez, it was DLSU that had the last laugh over their archrivals.  

Both teams were coming off contrasting finishes in UAAP Season 87, but a new year and an  upcoming season is a restart of sorts. What has remained constant, however, was the intense play between both proud programs. Winning against one’s rival could be the highlight of the season, especially in a losing campaign.What the 2025 Asiabasket College Campus Tour offered was an interesting perspective. 

It was great to see Asiabasket let the Green Archers and the Blue Eagles hold a game in the latter’s homecourt. UAAP games and even those in other leagues are usually played in neutral arenas, except for UST, which lends out its Quadricentennial Pavilion for some UAAP games. 

Allowing home and away games would be nice, because letting teams play in their school courts would allow students to see their peers defend homecourt. Not everyone can head to the Smart-Araneta Coliseum or the Mall of Asia Arena and while watching on TV or a livestream remains an option, there’s an allure to catching a UAAP game live. 

The DLSU-ADMU game had some extra spice how it was Amos’ first game back in the Ateneo campus since he joined the Green Archers. So it wasn’t surprising to hear the vitriol whenever he had the ball. 

Unfortunately, the logistics and lost revenue due to smaller venues could make the UAAP decide otherwise. You can’t blame them, though, especially since they are in the process of putting up The Home of the UAAP by 2027. More venues is a good thing in terms of reachability, but perhaps, this game between La Salle and Ateneo could invite some other ideas. After all, there are other rivalries the league can tap on, like the Battle of Katipunan, DLSU-FEU, DLSU-UST, and Adamson-UP to name a few. 

We’re more or less six months away from the start of UAAP Season 88, but the 2025 Asiabasket College Campus Tour matchup between the DLSU Green Archers and the ADMU Blue Eagles had the atmosphere of a Final Four game. Both teams’ Asiabasket rosters could essentially be the ones they’ll field in September so the contest itself could be a preview of what’s to come in Season 88. 

Besides, it’s never too early for a rivalry game, especially on a rival’s homecourt.