The Bulldogs are about to rise up again and bark its way to the top this UAAP season.

Set to defend nine championship titles in UAAP Season 79, the Bulldogs will kick start the season with a game in the much-anticipated men’s basketball tournament.

For its first assignment this season, the Jhocson-based squad will face the University of the East on September 7, 2pm at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

According to Bulldogs Head Coach Eric Altamirano, the UAAP fans and NU community can expect a hard-working Bulldogs team this conference.

“We’ve been practicing since January, we’ve joined some pre-season tournaments, we’ve attended some training camps so we had an extensive time to prepare [for this season].” Coach Altamirano said.

Bulldogs will badly miss the services of veterans Gelo Alolino, Kyle Neypes and Paolo Javelona, who have completed their playing years for NU, but key returnees like former Finals MVP Alfred Aroga, J-Jay Alejandro and Mohammad Salim are still reliable pieces for Coach Eric Altamirano. The Bulldogs will also rely on the services of key additions like Batang Gilas member Joshua Sinclair and Matt Salem.

“They add depth to the team, alam naman natin na kulang sa malaki ang team so they will boost that aspect.” Altamirano added.

The UAAP champion coach also said that the team’s primary goal this season is to enter the Final Four again.

“We’ll take it one game at a time. It’s going to be a process and doon muna kami naka-focus ngayon sa details ng preparations.”

Last August 22, the university held a Pep Rally to introduce the NU athletes for Season 79. Dubbed as “Inspiring Teams, Achieving Dreams”, the event was well-attended by the university officials and NU students.