The anticipated rematch between the 3-peat champion Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles and the fabled never-say-die University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons is headlining the return of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) as it opens Season 84 after a 2-year hiatus amidst the COVID-19 pandemic which stopped Season 82 and canceled Season 83.
The two leading Philippine universities men’s basketball teams battled in the championship series of UAAP Season 81 in 2018 in a seemingly David and Goliath scenario, which the giants of Ateneo eventually won.
The upcoming face-off in 2022 brings back the memories of those games that made sports history and captured the attention of Filipinos around the world as the heavily-favored defending champions from the Jesuit-run Catholic university faced the then-perennial dweller team from the state university.
Ateneo is bidding for its fourth straight title.
UP is coming off its semi-finals finish in 2019 and continues to bid for another championship title after winning its last UAAP crown in 1986.
The Ateneo-UP battle is scheduled on March 26, 2022, at 4 PM at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena in Pasay City.
UAAP Schedule
The UAAP Season 84 opening day pits all 8 teams in four games:
- University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers vs. Far Eastern University Tamaraws
10 AM - Adamson University Falcons vs. National University Bulldogs
1 PM - Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles vs. University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons
4 PM - De La Salle University Green Archers vs. University of the East Red Warriors
7 PM
The first round of games is scheduled at the closed doors MOA Arena every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday until April 9.
Here are the UAAP teams’ schedules:
Here are the players for the UAAP Men’s Basketball teams of Season 84:
The UAAP Season 84 games are played behind closed doors but the general public can view the matches through the following channels:
- UAAP Varsity Channel
- One Sports Channel 59 free television
- Cignal TV
- Cignal Play
- Smart GigaPlay app
Ateneo and UP standouts from previous seasons have been playing in the Japan Basketball League.
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