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ATENEO DE MANILA BLUE EAGLES: THE THREE-PEAT
When Rabeh Al-Hussaini, Nonoy Baclao and Jai Reyes graduated last year, everybody thought Ateneo’s championship run was as good as over.

But here we are again, marveling at their brilliance as they dance in the finals for the third straight time. So what exactly fuels their unforseen dominance in Season 73?

We could easily disregard all other factors and blame it on their system. With Ateneo, it’s all about the system. Clearly, Ateneo has one reliable marksman in Ryan Buenafe, but exchanging contributions from the likes of Salamat and Long indicate delegation on scoring.

The most successful teams in basketball rely on systems, not players. That’s what Phil Jackson did with the Bulls. That’s what Red did with the Celtics.

And that’s what Norman Black is doing for the Ateneo. Black installed one that brings the best out of his unit, one that turns the most unreliable bench warmers into consistent contributors.

Player to watch out for: Ryan Buenafe
Simply put, this guy is hands-down the best Blue Eagle out there. He’s the team’s most reliable rebounder, and he’s probably the league’s best slasher.

He’s also capable of keeping his man in check, though he doesn’t always put much effort in doing so. Ryan is the only Blue Eagle who can really dominate, and that’s exactly what he has to do in this series.

THE VERDICT
While we're looking at the FEU Tamaraws to win this series and clinch their first title in more than four seasons— players are at their prime, they've all-out dominated the entire first round of the season, destroyed the Green Archers in the Final Four, signs have shown that they are chokers no more—instincts dictate, it's Ateneo in three.

Yes, the three-peat will happen. Despite RR's brilliance. Despite FEU's star power. Despite their hunger. Because at the end of the day, the better team always wins.

And make no mistake about it, Ateneo is the better team. Their defense rotates better and the ball swings a lot faster. And that will be enough to push the Blue Eagles to the top. Again.