A crazy week in the UAAP Men’s Basketball tournament saw a number of upsets shake up the Statistical Points race. While Ben Mbala stayed at the top, the margins separating the top five, and even the top 10, have tightened up.
Here are the movers and the shakers after Week 4 of the Men’s Basketball tournament:
Unofficial Statistical Points race, updated October 12, 2016
| 1. Ben Mbala (DLSU Green Archers) | Last Week: 95.2875 | This Week: 93.875 | |
| The Kid from Cameroon keep his throne atop the MVP race after helping lead the De La Salle University to their eighth straight win at the expense of the Adamson University Soaring Falcons last Sunday. Mbala struggled in the game, shooting just 4-of-13 from the field – slightly dropping his SPs. But still he was able to finish the game with a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. | |||
| 2. Papi Sarr (AdU Soaring Falcons) | Last Week: 71.4286 | This Week: 66.67 | |
| Adamson big man Papi Sarr witnessed his stock plunge in the MVP race when he and the young Falcons faced Ben Mbala and the Green Archers last Sunday. The Cameroonian student-athlete grabbed his season-low six rebounds in the game to go along with 13 markers. Mbala’s lead over Sarr widened to 27 points after the game. | |||
| 3. Jeron Teng (DLSU Green Archers) | Last Week: 56.333 | This Week: 56.333 | |
| Despite being inactive during the past two weeks, King Archer Jeron Teng maintained his spot for this year’s MVP race. La Salle’s second leading scorer is set to make his return when the Green Archers take on the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons on Saturday. | |||
| 4. Raymar Jose (FEU Tamaraws) | Last Week: 54 | This Week: 56.111 | |
| King Tamaraw Raymar Jose saw a significant leap. During the Far Eastern University’s second round opener against the National University Bulldogs, Jose posted a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. He followed this up with a nine point and 14 rebound game against UST. However, his combined 11 turnovers in both games hindered him from leaping past Jeron Teng this week. | |||
| 5. Paul Desiderio (UP Fighting Maroons) | Last Week: 53.8571 | This Week: 54.222 | |
| Third year ultility guard Paul Desiderio was vital to UP’s back-to-back wins over contenders Ateneo de Manila University and Adamson to open the second round. After scoring nine points, five rebounds, and two steals in their second round opener against Ateneo, the Cebuano had his most efficient outing of the season against Adamson. He shot 7-of-12 from the field for 16 markers in that game to help UP notch their third win of the season. | |||
| 6. Alfred Aroga (NU Bulldogs) | Last Week: 51.1429 | This Week: 53.875 | |
| With his increased role in coach Altamirano’s system and with the Bulldogs badly needing a source of offense against the FEU Tamaraws, Alfred Aroga took charge for National U. Aroga tallied a double-double during that game with 22 points, 13 rebounds, and three blocks. However, the game still ended with a loss for NU, dropping them to an even 4-4 slate. | |||
| 7. Jerrick Ahanmisi (AdU Soaring Falcons) | Last Week: 51.8571 | This Week: 48.889 | |
| After a 27-point explosion against the league-leading DLSU Green Archers, Filipino-American rookie Jerrick Ahanmisi dropped an egg in Adamson’s stunning loss to the UP Fighting Maroons. In 25 minutes of action, Adamson’s gunslinger attempted just two shots, hitting none, and was not even able to bring himself to the charity stripe. This outing dropped him from sixth last week to a distant seventh. | |||
| 8. Matt Salem (NU Bulldogs) | Last Week: 51.2857 | This Week: 47.75 | |
| Just like Jerrick Ahanmisi, Matt Salem struggled during NU’s second round opener against the FEU Tamaraws. Averaging 11.5 markers per game this season, the stretch forward was not able to knock down his four attempts in the game. He did grab 11 rebounds to stay in the top 10. | |||
| 9. Louie Vigil (UST Growling Tigers) | Last Week: 44.8571 | This Week: 45.889 | |
| Even if the season hosts dropped its first two games of the second round, Louie Vigil has broken out of his personal slump. Vigil scored 21 points on an efficient 8-of-11 shooting clip in a loss against UE. The King Tiger followed this up with an 18 point against FEU. However, University of Santo Tomas’ skipper committed 17 turnovers in those two games. | |||
| 10. Prince Orizu (FEU Tamaraws) | Last Week: 48.5714 | This Week: 45.556 | |
| FEU big man Prince Orizu rounds up the top 10 for this week. Even if he totaled just five points this week, the defensive anchor tallied eight blocks this week. More importantly, he has helped the Tamaraws keep solo second in the standings. | |||
