The first round of UAAP Season 87 is now in the books.

The DLSU Green Archers and UP Fighting Maroons came into the season as the championship favorites and have lived up to this billing so far. Both teams topped the first round with identical 6-1 win-loss records, though the Green Archers earned the tie breaker for first place by handily beating the Fighting Maroons, 68-56, in the first round finale.

La Salle’s Kevin Quiambao, the reigning UAAP Most Valuable Player, is on track to be named the MVP yet again thanks to his impressive numbers. Through seven games, the 23-year-old is leading the league in scoring with 16.4 points per game and is also averaging 8.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.3 steals which highlight his blossoming all-around capabilities.

Another Green Archer, Mike Philips, is third in the MVP race so far with averages of 10 points, 11.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, a league-leading 1.7 steals, and one block per game. The fact that two of the top three players in the statistical race are from DLSU is a testament to this team’s quality, but what makes this team the favorite to win back-to-back championships is that these two are just the tip of the spear for La Salle. 

Josh David, JC Macalalag, EJ Gollena, and Earl Abadam have grown into their expanded roles this season while rookies Vhoris Marasigan and Andrei Dungo are making the most of the playing time that they have received so far.

Although UP’s bid for an undefeated season was thwarted by the Green Archers, the one consolation that they can take away from their first loss of the season is that they can claim that La Salle’s coach allegedly spat on one of their players JD Cagulangan did not suit up.

Cagulangan, who is second in the MVP race behind Quiambao and ahead of Philips, has missed the Fighting Maroons’ last two games due to an undisclosed injury or illness. He was healthy enough to dress on both occasions, suggesting that his absences are more likely precautionary rather than a reason for worry. 

If UP is to challenge DLSU for the championship this season, the 24-year-old guard will have to be at full strength, so this decision to let him sit out these first round games is a wise one. Cagulangan has averaged 13.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, six assists, a steal, and only 1.6 turnovers in his five appearances this season, but his biggest contribution to the Fighting Maroons’ attack is his ability to run their offense and control the tempo of the game. 

Harold Alarcon has stepped up in Cagulangan’s absence, yet he is more of a scorer rather than distributor and having the ball in his hands too often leaves UP’s halfcourt offense prone to stagnation.

Right behind these two teams in the standings are the surprise team of the season so far, the UE Red Warriors, who have become the league’s favorite underdog story. The Red Warriors dropped their first two games of the season, but responded with five consecutive wins, including a shocking win against the reigning champion La Salle.

UE has drawn strength from their foreign student athlete (FSA) Precious Momowei who is in fourth in the MVP race with per-game averages of 11.6 points, 10.3 rebounds, two assists, 0.9 steals, and a block. Momowei’s gravity as a dominant interior presence has opened up the perimeter for the Red Warriors, allowing them to become the league-leader in three-point percentage (32.7%) so far this season. 

While Momowei is UE’s heart, Wello Lingolingo has emerged as this team’s spirit and the poster boy of their run. Lingolingo’s 2.3 three-pointers per game put him in a tie with Quiambao for the most in the league through the first round and his 42.% three-point percentage is the third-best in the UAAP behind only Kyle Gamber of the ADMU Blue Eagles and the NU Bulldogs’ Steve Nash Enriquez. 

If not for the Red Warriors, the UST Growling Tigers would have been the feel-good story of the league this season. After a couple of years at the bottom of the standings, UST has come back this season with a handful of new pieces to compliment Nic Cabanero. The most popular among their new recruits is Forthsky Padrigao, the former Ateneo point guard who won a championship with the Blue Eagles two years ago.

Padrigao and the Growling Tigers’ FSA Mo Tounkara are in sixth and seventh, respectively, in the MVP race so far in UAAP 87, while Cabanero is ninth behind La Salle’s David. Through the contributions of these three players, UST finished the first round with a 4-3 record that is good enough for fourth in the standings through seven games. 

UST unsurprisingly lost to DLSU and UP, but they also dropped a third game to the AdU Soaring Falcons. These Growling Tigers may not have the depth to keep up with the Green Archers or Fighting Maroons on a nightly basis, yet what they do have is a trio of top tier players in Cabanero, Padrigao, and Tounkara who could theoretically win them games single-handedly.

If two of these three players can hit their stride at the same time, UST just might have what it takes to pull off an upset or two in the second round and even the Final Four–that is, if they can qualify.

Adamson is right on the Growling Tigers’ heels with a 3-4 win-loss record. If not for their one-point loss to UE at the end of the first round, they would have been fourth in the standings given that they won over UST. 

What’s fascinating about these Soaring Falcons is that they do not have a clear cut star and instead rely heavily on the system of head coach Nash Racela. Adamson only has two players in the top 30 of the UAAP’s statistical points tally after the first round in Matthew Montebon and Cedrick Manzano who are tied at 19th place. Matt Erolon, Joshua Yerro, Royce Mantua, Anthony Fransman, and John Calisay have had their fair share of moments this season so far as well. 

These Soaring Falcons though are greater than the sum of their parts, as shown in their league-leading defensive numbers. As of the end of the first round, Adamson led the league in blocks (5.1) while their opponents averaged the lowest points per game (62.1), had the worst field goal percentage (33.7%), and scored the least number of points in the paint (20.0). However, the Soaring Falcons’ elite defense was outweighed by their lackluster offense as they were also the lowest scoring team (58.6), worst two-point shooting team (38.3%), and their starters averaged the least points (25.9) in the first round.

Nonetheless, Racela still has Adamson chugging along in the middle of the pack and with the way that this group plays off one another, it would not be surprising if they managed to pull off an upset here and there come the second round.

Further down the standings are the NU Bulldogs, FEU Tamaraws, and ADMU Blue Eagles who finished the first round in sixth, seventh, and eighth place, respectively. Though it seems unlikely that these three teams can still barge into the Final Four, there have still been some bright spots in their respective campaigns.

NU forward Jake Figueroa is having a stellar season with averages of 10.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. Though the former UAAP Juniors MVP has not developed into the superstar that many expected, he has set himself apart as an elite role player who looks more and more PBA-ready with each passing game. 

Kenshin Padrones and Jolo Manansala have also responded well to the added responsibilities that have been given to them while their veteran guard Enriquez continues to be as solid as they come. 

Another guard who has had a strong campaign so far is Jorick Bautista of the FEU Tamaraws. He averaged 13.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.3 steals in the first round and was the star of the night in FEU’s sole win of the season so far that came at the expense of Ateneo. Veejay Pre has been a revelation as well, while their FSA Mohamed Konateh is averaging a league-leading 16.1 rebounds which has pushed him into fifth place in the MVP race. 

The other team with one win this season is Ateneo who took a thrilling win versus Adamson. No one expected the Blue Eagles to contend this year, but no one expected a proud program such as theirs to be this bad. 

ADMU has struggled following the departure of Kai Ballungay for the PBA and Mason Amos for La Salle, but rookie Jared Bahay has done his best to keep this team within striking distance in each game. The 19-year-old guard was one of, if not the most, sought after prospect from this year’s graduating high school class and has lived up to the hype–despite what many die-hard Blue Eagles fans will tell you. 

Bahay is a team-best 13th in the UAAP statistical points tally through seven games, ahead of notable veterans such as NU’s Figueroa and Lingolingo of UE. He is already averaging 9.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game and is only going to get better from here on out as he gets more acquainted with the UAAP’s style of play. 

What exacerbates Bahay’s situation is that Ateneo’s roster can be split into three parts: inexperienced recruits, third-stringers playing too many minutes, and Chris Koon. This combination is hardly conducive for on-court success and Bahay being able to put up the numbers that he has this season is already an achievement in itself.

The second round of this season might not have as many surprises as the first half did, but there are still many intriguing storylines to watch beyond the race for the championship. The continued growth of the rising stars of FEU, NU, and ADMU promises to be exciting, while the race for the last two spots of the Final Four between UE, UST, and AdU should go down the wire.

Most of all, the rivalry between DLSU and UP is only going to grow more tense as the season winds down. A finals rematch between these two teams seems inevitable at this point and if last year’s series was any indication, this UAAP season is in for an exciting next few months as the Green Archers and Fighting Maroons jostle for the championship.