ALLAN THE MAN

Latvia, Serbia and Lithuania opened the second phase of EuroBasket 2013 in Slovenia with victories on Wednesday as teams tried to step up their bids to reach the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

LATVIA vs UKRAINE Game Highlights (VIDEO)

The Latvians lowered the boom on Ukraine in the first Group E game of the day, 85-51. The Baltic side, who finished third in Group B and carried no victories into the Second Round since none of the teams they beat advanced, got into a shooting rhythm early and opened a 24-11 lead.

Other than the centerpiece event of men’s basketball, the ever trendy, highly-awaited cheerdance competition serves as another major attraction in every UAAP season.

And this year won’t be any different as a jampacked crowd is expected to fill in the Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday when seven cheerdance squads try to stop University of the Philippines from winning a fourth consecutive championship.

Kevin Durant is back in the familiar surroundings of Barcelona this week, the city he visited with the United States squad last summer before traveling to London and capturing an Olympic gold medal.

The Americans' presence in the Catalonian capital in 2012 was a big deal because there is a rich tradition of basketball in the city and fans relished the opportunity to see the USA stars.

The National University (NU) Bulldogs held off a late-game charge by the Ateneo Blue Eagles to claim a 70-65 victory and clinch a twice-to-beat edge in the Final Four of the UAAP Season 76 men's basketball tournament Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Two-time UAAP Most Valuable Player Bobby Ray Parks scored 24 points and grabbed seven rebounds, and assisted on a dagger three-pointer by Denice Villamor that allowed NU to gain separation from Ateneo with just 22 seconds to go in the contest.