UAAP Sept. 24 preview: UP seeks first win against tough Adamson, Ateneo looks to erase doubt against UE 

UAAP’ Season 88’s opening weekend has come and gone, yet the season continues as the defending champions UP Fighting Maroons look to shake off their opener loss against the UST Growling Tigers, but standing in their way are the competitive Adamson Soaring Falcons, who almost upset the DLSU Green Archers courtesy of star big man Cedrick Manzano.The Ateneo Blue Eagles are also looking to erase any doubts from their overtime win against the FEU Tamaraws by trumping the winless UE Red Warriors

UP needs to assert itself against Adamson

It may be too early to say that this first-round matchup against Adamson is a must-win for the defending champs. But coming off a blowout loss against the Growling Tigers, where they could not get anything going offensively and didn’t look like the UP of past seasons, UP might fall into a hole that’ll prove difficult to get out of come the second round.

In the absence of former skipper J.D Cagulangan, Janjan Felicilda and Harold Alarcon picked up the playmaking – and scoring – duties in their opener but could not find momentum as UST’s surprisingly solid defense allowed no room for opportunities.

It also didn’t help that their momentum was continuously halted after failing to stop UST’s FSA big man Collins Akowe. With Adamson, there is another big body waiting in Cedrick Manzano that they need to contain to give them opportunities on the other end and hopefully grab their first win.

Not the start the defending champs wanted as the UST Growling Tigers dealt a 20-point blow.

Time to regroup, lock in, and bring back the MAROON brand of basketball this #UAAPSeason88.

📸: Azel Cabais, Manel Ebol, and Jewel Soho pic.twitter.com/kUSR8SxNA5

— UP Office for Athletics and Sports Development (@oasdup) September 22, 2025

The Blue Eagles have a chance to become a contender with a dominant showing against UE

One of the main revelations after the opening weekend was that Ateneo’s one-and-done trio of Kymani Ladi, Dominic Escobar, and Jayden Lazo gave them more opportunities to score with sophomore guard Jarred Bahay facilitating the offense.

Ladi’s 26 points and nine rebounds alongside Bahay’s heroics in overtime allowed Ateneo to grab the win, but they need to avoid even allowing UE to think they have a chance. Their defense needs to wake up and avoid what happened in the FEU game when Jorick Bautista and Janrey Pasaol calmly got to their spots and sank shots.

FSA Precious Momowei will have another tough task in lifting UE, but with Ateneo’s size and newly-extended head coach Tab Baldwin’s pre-game adjustments, the odds are very much stacked for UE to start the season with a 0-2 slate.

👉 Don’t miss out on the latest sports news, updates, and fan discussions!

📌 Follow our Facebook page Sports News PH today and join the community of passionate basketball fans.