To be fair, I will be counting my DLSU POD pick as loss eventhough the line I got was at -13.5. I would have loss even at -5.5 anyway. Here's an article written by hardcore La Sallian Tony Atayde on DLSU's heartbreaking loss to NU.

Humiliated, Humbled and Eliminated

It was really not meant to be. La Salle did not deserve to be in the Final Four this year. Teams who end up in the Final Four do so because of victories and not because of losses by other teams. This is how La Salle would have had a chance to get in the Final Four, not because they won games but because UST lost games. This was not fair and should have not really happened.

On the one hand, I am glad that NU beat La Salle today. The loss made UST’s entry into the Final Four honorable. It did not make a mockery of the Final Four by having La Salle’s possible entry simply because they were waiting for a UE win.

This year is truly a humbling experience for every Lasallian. Now we know what every other team in the UAAP feels. We feel the embarrassment, the frustration and most of all, a lesson in humility that we as Lasallians have forgotten.

It was truly an embarrassing loss. NU did not play great but La Salle played so bad that it seemed like they did not want to win. In the last half minute, when NU was on the foul line, Malabes did not box out the shooter, Baloran, who ends up getting the rebound.

With one more chance at a victory, Webb botches a play by not following the instructions of Coach Franz. The play was for Barua to act as decoy, receive the ball then pass it to Webb. Instead Webb gets the inbound and drives to basket.

In all honesty, I did not see the urgency in the La Salle team to win this game. Maybe they really did not want to get into the Final Four. Maybe they felt that they did not want to get embarrassed anymore. Even after the game, I could not see the sadness that normally one would see in an embarrassing loss such as this.

I have been insulted, called all the names that could be imagined and even have had my family insulted. None of these will ever make me turn my back on my Alma Mater. I will always be a Lasallian and proud of it. However, I will not also not voice out my opinions about how the players, especially the veterans played this year. My loyalty is to the institution and never to an individual player.

What is needed for this team to come back next year as a contender? First, I would make room for all the budding rookies that will be available. Mangahas, Barua, Atkins, Ferdinand, Co and Malabes have to make the extreme sacrifice and go. They should give La Salle a chance to rebuild without them. They have spent enough years on the team and this year they showed that all the time they spent has not brought positive results.

They were role players in past La Salle teams and they have remained role players this year. If not for the rookies and the sophomores, the veterans would have even looked worst. All 6 of them have won championships so there is nothing that they can still strive for. With Hyram Bagatsing gone, that would leave 7 slots open for new talents.

It’s also time to develop a team leader. This year no one stepped up and took on the role that is so important to any team. It seemed like everyone was afraid to be the leader. This team lacked the presence of someone like Casio, Tang or Cardona. Instead, what they got were a bunch of over aged rookies who were unable to bring leadership to a team yearning for leadership.

There are many recruits that will be available next season. Van Opstal, Elorde and de la Paz from Zobel, Agovida, Vosotros, the return of LA Revilla, Papot Paredes plus all the Team B members who may be ready to play. You can add to that this year’s crop of rookies and sophomores who showed that they have the heart and the desire to win.

One more important point, Coach Franz Pumaren has to come back. He can rebuild this team and I am sure he will.