It began right there in the first game of the season: Far Eastern University drew great games from their superstar pointguard Ryan Roose Garcia, hotshot forward Paul Sanga and veteran center Aldrech Ramos to beat reigning champion Ateneo De Manila 72 – 69. The last time FEU beat Ateneo in their first encounter of the season was back in 2005, the same year the Tamaraws last won the UAAP senior division basketball championship.

It was a close game to be sure, and neither team could muster a double-digit advantage. Everyone seemed to home in on getting that crucial opening game victory. These things tend to set the tone for the entire season – a loss in the first game might bode ill for the rest of the season. Early on it looked like FEU was not going to get anything done right, as the Tamaraws played tight and ran into a whole mess of unforced errors. Dribbles were bouncing off the players’ own feet. Passes were coming too early or too late into a cut. Players had oil slicks on their hands as balls flew out of hands on drives to the hoop. That veteran Kirk Long was also hounding Garcia from the get-go only made matters worse.

FEU however managed to settle down in the second half, tightening up on their defense and crashing the boards with more alacrity. Garcia also came alive after that lackluster first half. Ateneo was ahead most of the way, going up as much as 67-60 with the game winding down. Garcia spearheaded a furious rally. He nailed a couple of three-pointers with the defense all over him then capped that effort with consecutive and-1 plays to give the Tamaraws the 67-70 lead.

Reil Cervantes, who started out strong and then got lost in the middle two periods, wrapped up the game with a split at the charity stripe for the final count. Garcia wound up with a game-high 25 points. “We were lucky to get the win and I’m happy that RR came up big for us in the stretch,” declared elated FEU head coach Glen Capacio. “Hopefully this is something we can build on,” he added.

After that huge opening weekend victory the Tamaraws have gotten on a big roll. With an immaculate 5 – 0 record, they remain the only unbeaten team thus far in Season 73, and are on course to sweep through the first round of eliminations. In their fourth game, the Tamaraws walloped the hapless UP Fighting Maroons 94 – 70. It was rookie guard Terrence “Jet” Romeo’s turn to shine as he led FEU with 21 points.

In between the Tamaraws rolled over their university belt neighbor University of the East 91 – 81 in spite of a season-high 27 points from King Warrior Paul Lee. They also survived a scare from the National University Bulldogs 76 – 72. These two games could have been or should have been walkovers for FEU. However, both the Warriors and the Bulldogs gave the Tamaraws the fight of their lives. Lee very nearly shot UE to an upset over the favored Tamaraws were it not for massive leg cramps in the end game. NU had a 70-64 lead going into the last few minutes before Garcia once again rescued his guys.
That is one thing that Coach Glen Capacio and his staff need to be wary of: this team tends to loaf and coast when they think they can easily handle an opponent. That UP game turned into a cakewalk in the end. But the Maroons came within 70-63 late in the third period behind the sniping of Mike Silungan and Martin Reyes before Reil Cervantes, Ping Exciminiano and Romeo let loose with a flurry to rebuild the 80-63 bulge. At the halftime break Cervantes exhorted his guys in the vernacular, “Lamang na tayo, ibaon na natin sila!” Fortunately for FEU he made good on his own words when UP was gaining.

In-game focus and mental toughness is not the only thing on the minds of FEU watchers and the pundits of the game. For the last couple of seasons, the Tamaraws have come undone with developments off the court. There was the shooting of forward Mac Baracael right outside the FEU gymnasium and varsity dorms in the university belt. Apparently a lone gunman came up to the popular player from behind and shot him as he was going to get something to eat with a couple of teammates. That case remains open, and the suspect at large. As expected, rumors swirled about the gambling syndicates and other criminal elements “sending a message”. That incident might have derailed FEU’s title drive that season. Baracael has since recovered and is now enjoying a successful stint with the Smart Gilas national team along with former FEU teammates Ramos and JR Cawaling.

Then there was the so-called Mark Barroca incident. Barroca, at that time the team superstar, was suddenly no longer playing right in the middle of FEU’s campaign last season. Again the rumors started to fly, and all the speculating was fueling its own fire. He was removed from the team, or the team voted to have him removed, or he left of his own volition for personal reasons, just take your pick. Barroca is now also with the Smart Gilas national team and is arguably the second best homegrown Filipino player on that roster behind Baracael.

With the Tamaraws more than halfway done and a first round sweep seemingly imminent, all eyes are on the consensus Number 1 seed in Season 73. For the last couple of seasons they have been a favorite, a strong, deep and talented team with size and athleticism across the board. Their core players have been with each other for at least the last two or three seasons, and they have weathered incredible storms together. “It was never about how they did on the court but things that happened off the court that led to FEU’s undoing the last few years,” observed one veteran basketball observer. “They cannot afford any of that if they are to win the championship this year,” he added.

As if on cue, the Tamaraws were very nearly dealt their first loss for Season 73 by host La Salle in their last game. In that Thursday encounter, FEU needed two overtime periods to finally hack out the tough 84 – 80 victory over the pesky Green Archers. Coming off an emotional 66-63 win over archrival Ateneo, La Salle seemed to bring a lot of that focus and determination into this game. FEU is the stronger team, the top-ranked team of the tournament, and this young La Salle squad nearly made them cry.

Whatever aspirations they might have, FEU still has to go through Ateneo, and maybe even Adamson and NU. Ateneo is no longer the dominating powerhouse of the last two years, but they have enough talent and great coaching to return to the Finals. Adamson and NU might surprise people if they can string enough victories with still nine or 10 games left on their calendars. FEU also cannot keep counting on Garcia to bail them out of tough spots. They need to play a high level of ball from opening tip to the final buzzer. Cervantes and Ramos are the best frontline now in the league, Garcia the best pointguard, and they have the insurance of Sanga from long range and Cawaling everywhere else. Veteran newcomer Mark “Tonton” Bringas brings new toughness and hustle to the frontline.

As of this writing they still have Santo Tomas, La Salle and Adamson ahead in Round 1. UST and Adamson need all the wins they can get, while La Salle is coming off a huge win over rival Ateneo and has the additional motivation of being the season host to drive them. Taking any of those teams lightly will be the undoing of FEU.

The prize is straight ahead. All FEU has to do is to stay on the straight and narrow.