By the Numbers: Sept. 11-14

By Paolo Mariano Posted Sep 16th 2013

For the first time since the Final Four was instituted in 1994, National University (NU) grabbed the top spot at the end of the double-round eliminations, moving past Far Eastern University (FEU) and De La Salle University by the slimmest of margins—a .001 quotient edge to be exact. Now, the Bulldogs have a strong chance of making it to the Last Dance for the first time since 1954. Most of their parents perhaps weren’t even born yet during that time. But the real battle is just beginning for NU, because if the preliminary rounds are any indication, the semifinals will be an even steeper climb.

20,830

The number of people who attended the UAAP Cheerdance Competition (CDC) at the Mall of Asia Arena. It was a record crowd for the state-of-the-art venue since it opened in May 2012. It narrowly beat the previous record of 20,686 in Game 1 of last year's men's basketball finals between Ateneo de Manila University and University of Santo Tomas (UST). This year's CDC mob eclipsed last year's count of 19,509, also held at the MOA Arena.

1994

The last time one school topped the men's, women's, and juniors' basketball competitions prior to NU’s feat this season. It truly has been a historic ride for the Sampaloc-based squad this year. The Bullpups swept the eliminations, while the Bulldogs and the Lady Bulldogs finished with 10-4 and 12-2 records, respectively. The last school to do it was UST with season MVPs Dennis Espino and Gerard Francisco leading the charge in the seniors and juniors.

75.8

The average number of points allowed by Adamson in the second round. The Soaring Falcons’ defense just went south in the second half of the season after limiting their opponents to only 68.9 in the opening round. They also allowed a 44.0% conversion rate in their last seven assignments. The defensive effort simply wasn’t there for majority of head coach Leo Austria’s wards. It usually felt like their priority was to look for their own shots.    

21

The number of second chance points scored by La Salle in its much-needed win over UST last Saturday. The Green Archers capitalized on their size advantage as they pummeled the Growling Tigers in the glass, grabbing 19 offensive rebounds for those recharged opportunities. The boys from España, on the other hand, only had two second chance points. Jeron Teng and Norbert Torres led the way for La Salle, teaming up for 11 offensive rebounds. 

3

The number of times FEU's Terrence Romeo has scored at least 30 points this season. He put up a new career-high 33 markers against University of the Philippines (UP) last Wednesday, just days after dropping 32 on Adamson. He also tallied 30 points versus University of the East last August. He shot 11-of-23 or 47.8% against UP and added 11 free throws. The MVP frontrunner is the only player since 2003 to record back-to-back 30-point outings.