NIKOLE JAVIER

Tab Baldwin doesn’t fancy Ateneo’s chances against the unbeaten University of the Philippines in their much-anticipated first-round encounter in the UAAP on Sunday.

While the defending champions struggled to get their bearings early before improving to a 3-3 record, the Fighting Maroons stayed perfect in six outings.

With the reality staring down Baldwin in the face, the 65-year-old mentor was the first to admit that going up against the Fighting Maroons won’t be the same as it was last season.

“That’s definitely not a rematch. The names of the teams might be the same, but we’re a far cry from the same team that went out to play them,” said Baldwin.

The Ateneo tactician, though, was glad that his wards were heading into their biggest battle of the season yet with a much-needed 97-77 boost over the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers on Wednesday, Oct. 18.

The Maroons are also coming off a big win over La Salle, 67-64, also on Wednesday where the Sate U showed steely resolve as they rallied from a 12-point deficit to prevail.

What made UP’s win more remarkable was that the Maroons held the Archers to just one field goal in the third quarter where it made 21 tries.

“We have a lot to prove. Every game is an opportunity for us to prove things and it’s a great scenario to go up against the team that’s been (unbeaten this season),” Baldwin said.

Still, Baldwin and the rest of the Blue Eagles remained upbeat for their upcoming matchup against their two-time championship rival.

“We’ll be excited on Sunday (Oct. 22). It’s One Big Fight versus UP Fight. We’re getting a little bit used to that over the years and I’m sure fans will be very enthusiastic about it. we’ll show up but we’ll be losing sleep first over that,” Baldwin concluded.