UAAP: DLSU vs UP round two preview and live-scoring

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The surging De La Salle University Green Archers take on a University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons team under new leadership, when they meet on Saturday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum, with tip-off at 2pm.

Round one encounter

The UP Fighting Maroons stuck close to the DLSU Green Archers for much of the game, pulling off multiple rallies to trail by just five, 82-77, with 6:24 left to play, courtesy of a Joseph Marata triple. However, back-to-back makes by Luigi Dela Paz sparked a 14-3 blast that gave the Archers a 96-80 advantage.

Though DLSU then went scoreless in the final 1:30 of the match, UP could only manage a pair of free throws and one more field goal, as the green-and-white bounced back from an opening day loss to UST, 96-84.

DLSU outlook

After a disappointing 3-4 finish to the first round, the Archers took advantage of the FIBA break to regroup, and the result has been a pair of impressive wins, first against the Adamson University Falcons in OT, and then versus the league-leading FEU Tamaraws.

So far, the difference has been their defense. DLSU has gone from giving up 74 points per game to just 67.5, after their first seven games. They're also rebounding better on both ends (17 on the offensive glass, up from 15.9, 49.5 total, up from 46.4) and turning the ball over less (14.5, down from 16.9).

As long as they don't underestimate the Maroons, the Archers could be on their way to replicating their feat from Season 75, when they used a four-game win stretch to put themselves in a position to win a Final Four berth.

UP outlook

Under former head coach Ricky Dandan, the Fighting Maroons were just 3-33 over two and a half season, but they were always expected to struggle this year though, what with a line-up that boasted of seven Maroons in their first UAAP playing year.

The big problem for UP has been keeping opponents out of the paint. They actually concede just 21.8 perimeter points to their foes, tops in the UAAP, but that comes at the expense of their interior defense. The Maroons give up 38.5 points in the paint, 12.9 second-chance points and 12.5 fast break points, all league-worst stats. Will that change under new head coach Rey Madrid? He'll get his first crack at a win this season versus the Archers. - AMD, GMA News