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MANILA, Philippines—The 71st season of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball tournament is nearing its homestretch, with barely three weeks left in the elimination round. And as promised, fans are being treated with heart-stopping action, suspense and drama, both on and off the court.

This week, we are taking our thumbs up and thumbs down to the UAAP to see what’s hot and what’s not in the country’s premiere collegiate league.

Thumbs up: Rookies making impact

Top high school prospects have brought their game to the UAAP and have proven that they could play with the big boys.

• Ryan Buenafe of the Ateneo Blue Eagles has lived up to the hype as he made an early impact for the league-leaders coming off the bench. As a starter, he gave the Ateneo faithful a glimpse of a bright future.

• Clark Bautista of the UST Growling Tigers started the season slowly but finally showed his mettle as he bailed out the Tigers with a booming three to force overtime to salvage a win against the Adamson Falcons. He followed up his heroics with a career-high 18 points, all coming from the three-point line, torching the hapless National University Bulldogs.

Thumbs down: On-court and off-court controversies

• No ID, no entry—a technical foul was slapped against the DLSU coaching staff before their game against rival Ateneo for not wearing their IDs inside the court, something that was unprecedented.

• Poor officiating from the referees forced UE to file a protest with the commissioner and the UAAP board to review their game against the FEU Tamaraws. They contested the shot of forward Marlon Adolfo in the final minutes, saying that the shot clearly came after the buzzer. The protest was eventually junked.

Thumbs up: Rising stars

Role players of the past season have also stepped up and brought their game to the next level.

• Rabeh Al-Hussaini of the Ateneo Blue Eagles averaged career numbers in points and rebounds and mastered the hook shot, giving defenders headaches. He scored a career-high 33 points in a loss against the FEU Tamaraws.

• James Mangahas, Peejay Barua and Bader Malabes of the DLSU Green Archers showcased vast improvements in their outside sniping, giving the Archers a lift in clutch situations.

• Hans Thiele of the University of the East elevated his game in the absence of a dominant inside presence for the Red Warriors.

Thumbs down: Injuries

• UST point guard Japs Cuan suffered a torn meniscus and is slowly getting his game back after being sidelined for three weeks

• La Salle’s Simon Atkins and Marko Batricevic both sustained injuries in their game against UE. Atkins had a whiplash as he hit the back of his head on the floor, while Batricevic re-injured his knee, sidelining him for the rest of the season.

• Falcons back-up point guard Lester Alvarez was also sidelined, forcing Jerrick Cañada to play extended minutes.

• Perhaps the biggest shocker of the season, FEU sophomore Mac Baracael was shot twice at the back by an unknown assailant while on his way to a fast food joint in Morayta on July 24, right after their team’s practice. Rumors and speculations regarding the shooting have sprung up, ranging from personal vendetta to game-fixing syndicates. Up to now, the culprit and the mastermind are still at large.

Thumbs up: Tight race to the Final Four

• The Final Four is barely a month away and five teams are slugging it out for positioning. Ateneo and La Salle are battling it out for the top two spots and a twice-to-beat edge while FEU, UE and UST are trying to stay in the hunt. UP, Adamson and NU may no longer be gunning for a berth this year but surely they would want to jumble the team standings and make the homestretch more interesting.