By the Numbers: July 24-28

By Paolo Mariano Posted Jul 29th 2013

The opening round of Season 76 is now in the books and what a chapter it was. If anyone said prior to the season that Far Eastern University (FEU) will sweep the first round, he would be deemed worthy of a mental check-up. But alas, the Tamaraws and new head coach Nash Racela thought otherwise. Speaking of which, this is the first time in the Final Four era that both Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University are in the bottom half of the team standings. If the first round is any indication, the second one will be even more of a surprise.

79

The statistical points (SPs) tallied by FEU’s Terrence Romeo after the first round—the most by any player. The sensational senior guard emerged as the league’s top MVP contender with his impressive all-around game. He’s number one in points (22.6) and steals (1.3 SPG) and third in assists (4.1 APG). He could’ve even amassed more SPs if not for his errors (4.1), tied for worst. Last season, he finished fourth in the MVP race with 66.57 SPs.

46.8%

The field goal percentage of University of the Philippines’ (UP) Kyles Lao. The promising rookie is the lone guard in the league’s top 10 in marksmanship, occupying the eighth spot. He hit 22 of his 47 attempts. The 5’11” lefty out of Xavier and former RP Under-16 standout isn’t afraid to drive to the lane despite his disadvantage in size. Adamson’s Ingrid Sewa topped the list with 61.9%, followed by La Salle’s Arnold Van Opstal with 55.6%.

10

The number of offensive statistical categories topped by FEU after the first round. They are points (80.6), three-point percentage (32.1%), perimeter points (39.3), free throws (77.0%), assists (16.3), blocks (5.6), bench scoring (29.4), fastbreak points (11.6), turnovers (12.3), and points off turnovers (16.1). The Tamaraws have obviously outclassed the competition with their overwhelming offensive prowess, inspired by Gilas Pilipinas’ system.

5

The number of Gilas players who also played in the UAAP. They are Ateneo’s Larry Fonacier (2000-04), L.A. Tenorio (2001-05), and Japeth Aguilar (2003-05) and FEU’s Jeff Chan (2003-06) and Marc Pingris (1999). Among them, Fonacier, Tenorio, and Chan won championships in the league. The UAAP will take a break from August 1 to 11 to give way to the staging of the FIBA-Asia Championship here in Manila. It will resume on August 13.  

1-of-18 

The field goal shooting of UP’s Joseph Marata in their loss to University of the East last Saturday. It was a nightmarish afternoon for the Fighting Maroons’ top scorer, who was averaging 16.2 PPG—fifth in the league—prior to that game. He shot 1-of-10 from three-point area and 0-of-8 from two-point distance, struggling against the physical defensive of Lord Casajeros all game. His solitary make came in the waning seconds of the third quarter.