The battle between green and blue. Taft versus Katipunan. Archers vs. Eagles. How ever you may say it, it's the age-old rivalry between the De La Salle University (DLSU) and Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU) in the men's basketball tournament.
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This is most anticipated matchup in the UAAP calendar, one that sells out tickets to its game within minutes of selling them at the Araneta Coliseum box office. This game is considered as a scalper's payday when they make people pay more than the face value of the ticket just to have a glimpse of these two teams slugging it out for no more than bragging rights. Alumni and students from both schools come out and show their support during the games. Legends are born and heroes emerge.
Arguably one of the oldest rivalries in the Philippine sports world, it curiously did not start in the sport of basketball. The rivalry started in football, where the sport was popular during the pre-war period until the 1950s, when basketball took over soon after. The times may have changed and so do the participants, but the institutions and the history still live on to this very day.
Formation: The NCAA days (1924-1978)
In 1924, a group of schools founded the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Two of those founder schools were the then-De La Salle College and the Ateneo de Manila University. At this time, these two teams were not as strong as their other NCAA counterparts and would not meet in the championship round until more than a decade later.
In the championship round of 1938, these two teams met with the Ateneo Blue Eagles being heavily favored over the De La Salle Green Archers. In a shocking upset, DLSC won over the heavily favored Ateneo team with a final score of 27-23.
In the victory parade that followed, legend has it that the Lasallian students threw fried chicken when the parade passed by the then-Padre Faura campus gates of Ateneo, which drew the ire of the Ateneans. This event supposedly marks the start of a bitter feud that continues on up to today. It must be noted though that these two institutions once exclusively admitted only boys (mostly from affluent families), so the rivalry may also have rooted in the fact that students from these schools wanted bragging rights over the other when their team comes out on top.
It took 20 years for both squads to meet each other again in the final round of 1958, where Ateneo won in the rematch in an overtime thriller, 105-103. 1974 marked the final time these two would meet, where La Salle won, 90-70.
These two teams once competed in a dual meet that took place twice before World War II and once in the early 1950s. The winner got to take home the President Quezon trophy, while the loser got to take home the Calabasa trophy. De La Salle College won the series, 2-1.
Massive violence during and after the games inside and outside the playing venues forced Ateneo to withdraw from the league in 1978, while an all-out brawl in the stands during a game versus Letran marked the exodus of La Salle from the NCAA.
Overall, the Blue Eagles won 14 NCAA basketball crowns, while the Green Archers won only five. However, in their head-to-head match-up in the championship rounds, La Salle won the series 2-1.
Reloaded: The UAAP years (1986-present)
After Ateneo withdrew from the NCAA in 1978, their application to play in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) was immediately accepted. However, La Salle's application was rejected by Ateneo and University of Santo Tomas. La Salle was eventually accepted into the league and started play in 1986.
After nearly a decade of dormancy, the two teams finally met again, but this time in the UAAP. It took another two years in the league for the teams to match up again in the championship, where the Blue Eagles handily defeated the Green Archers, 75-66.
In the 1990s, the Katipunan-based squad suffered through a decade of futility, while the Taft-based cagers went through the ups and downs and the bitter setback of bridesmaid finishes to UST. But late in the decade, they won three straight championships between 1998-2000, before setting up another showdown with Ateneo in 2001.
In their first finals matchup since 1988, their showdown in 2001 was an exciting one, with games ending with a slim average of five points as a margin of victory for either side. In the end, DLSU won the series 2-1. With this victory, the Green Archers won their fourth straight championship and avenged their 1988 championship defeat. The following year in 2002, the two arranged a rematch in the championship round. This time around, Ateneo won their first UAAP men's basketball title in 14 years and stopped DLSU's championship streak.
From 2003 to 2005, the two teams met in the Final Four round, with DLSU taking two out of three match-ups. Both teams eventually lost to the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws in 2003 (AdMU) and 2005 (DLSU) after advancing to the championship round, while DLSU eventually won the title in 2004.
In 2006, the Green Archers were suspended from playing in the UAAP after admitting it had fielded two ineligible players from 2003 to 2005. In effect, the Green Archers forfeited all of their games during that period, including their 2004 championship and their 2005 runner-up trophy.
With the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors sweeping the 2007 season and AdMU tying DLSU for second place in the team standings, the two teams met in a knockout game for the twice to beat advantage in the Step Ladder format for the right to meet UE in the championship round. DLSU won the tiebreaker and AdMU was forced to meet UST in a knockout match thereafter. After disposing of UST, AdMU took away DLSU's twice to beat advantage in their fourth meeting of the season. In the fifth and final meeting between the two in the season, DLSU emerged victorious and seemingly "defied the laws of mathematics" by winning two out of the five match-ups in the season and yet advancing to the final round. Eventually, the Green Archers swept the then-undefeated Red Warriors in the championship.
The next year, the two teams met for the fourth time in the 2008 UAAP Finals. However, Ateneo proved to be the better team by sweeping the Green Archers and winning their fourth title. During this year as well, these two teams met in the finals of the Philippine Collegiate Championship, where the DLSU Green Archers defeated the Ateneo Blue Eagles to win their second national crown. With the DLSU Green Archers failing to qualify for the Final Four in 2009, this marks the first time that these two teams failing to meet in post-season play since 2001 (excluding the 2006 DLSU suspension).
As of 2009, the De La Salle Green Archers has won more championships (7) in the UAAP, as compared to Ateneo Blue Eagles (5). Head-to-head, however, the Blue Eagles lead the series 3-1.
So, who comes out on top?
If we count the NCAA, UAAP, and National Intercollegiate/Philippine Collegiate Championship titles, the Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagles would have more titles than DLSU with a count of 21-14. However, in all of their head-to-head championship meetings, the series is tied at 4-4. So, another meeting in the championship for the two may perhaps decide who is the better team. But with the endless debate on which championships count in this rivalry, we will somehow never know which team emerges over the other. But one thing is for sure, this old adage remains true and alive:
"Matalo lang sa iba, wag lang sa Ateneo..." ("Just lose to others, but not to Ateneo.")
Or La Salle, depending on which side you're on.
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