Elmer Espiritu is expected to be a marked man when the two teams clash this Thursday in a deciding third game at the Araneta Coliseum. Espiritu. (Photo by BOB DUNGO JR.)

Games on Thursday
(Araneta Coliseum)
11 a.m. DLSZ vs Ateneo (J)
3:30 p.m. Ateneo vs UE

Ateneo de Manila tries to recover from an embarrassing Game 2 meltdown when it takes on University of the East this Thursday for the 72nd UAAP basketball championship at the Araneta Coliseum.

History does not favor Ateneo.

The last time the UAAP Final went down the wire, the Blue Eagles suffered a shock loss at the hands of underdog University of Santo Tomas in 2006.

This will be on their mind when the Warriors take the floor at 3:30 p.m. eyeing their first crown since 1985.

Lawrence Chongson, UE’s first-time coach, understands the significance of the match.

“It’s a battle between Ateneo’s discipline against our emotion,” said the long-haired Chongson whose run-and-gun philosophy has brought the Warriors within a win of recapturing the title.

Ateneo, mentored by multi-titled Norman Black, broke down in the second half against UE’s red-hot shooting and tenacious zone defense.

Elmer Espiritu and Pari Llagas momentarily took the spotlight away from star guard Paul Lee last Sunday, combining for 41 points.

The high-flying Espiritu had 22 points and shot 4-of-5 triples while Llagas had 19 points, six rebounds and five assists.

Black, however, warned that the Eagles will be coming to the match fully motivated.

"I mean, it's one game. We have one game to win the championship but don't expect to come out that we will not be ready for Thursday. We will be ready to play," said Black.

Chongson said he expects the Eagles to play better.

"I'm sure coach Norman will make some adjustments come Game 3 so we have to watch out for that," said Chongson.

The Eagles reached the final with the loss of only one game while the Warriors had to beat Far Eastern University twice in the Final Four.

That made Ateneo the prohibitive favorite to nail its fifth UAAP crown.

But last Sunday, the Warriors showed they can compete and defeat the Eagles.

The pressure remains on the Eagles whose disappointing loss to the Tigers three years ago still fresh in their memory.

That year, the Eagles and the Tigers went different routes to the finals.

While the Eagles breezed past FEU, the third-seeded Tigers subdued the Warriors twice.

The Eagles took Game 1 of the finals, but the Tigers, starring Jervy Cruz and Jojo Duncil, took the next two games to complete an improbable triumph.

Three remnants of that 2006 squad are still with the team – Jai Reyes, Rabeh Al-Hussaini, and Eric Salamat.

While Al-Hussaini and Reyes have churned in respectable figures, Salamat has remained a non-factor in the first two games of the finals.

Black is hoping to join a select group of coaches who won consecutive championships in the collegiate and pro ranks, Baby Dalupan, Turo Valenzona and Derrick Pumaren, among others.

Chongson, on the other hand, is eyeing to become the fifth coach in the last 11 years to win the title on his debut after Franz Pumaren, Joel Banal, Bert Flores, and Pido Jarencio.

Preceding the seniors’ final game, the Blue Eaglets and La Salle-Zobel clash for the junior crown at 11 a.m.

Tickets for both games will be sold separately. Fans of the first game will be asked to leave the venue to accommodate perhaps 20,000 or more people who will watch the main encounter.