Games Wednesday (SM Mall of Asia Arena)
10 a.m. – FEU-D vs Ateneo (JHS)
12 noon – DLSZ vs AdU (JHS)
3:30 p.m. – AdU vs Ateneo (Men)
6:30 p.m. – UP vs UE (Men)
ATENEO and Adamson University face off in a crucial game that has a lot of implications for the last Final Four berth Wednesday in the UAAP Season 87 collegiate men’s basketball tournament at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The winner of the 3:30 p.m. contest will tie University of Santo Tomas in fourth spot. The Growling Tigers are at 4-6 but have lost their last three matches.
University of the Philippines tries to assure itself of a playoff for a Final Four slot as it tangles with University of the East at 6:30 p.m.
After enduring epic struggles in a 1-6 first round, Ateneo defeated National University and UST in succession to keep its Final Four streak hopes alive. The Blue Eagles have made it past the eliminations for the last nine seasons after missing the bus in 2013.
The Falcons, who also have a 3-6 record, have lost four in a row. Adamson is coming off a 45-70 beating at the hands of defending champion De La Salle last Saturday.
Ateneo defeated the Falcons, 60-51, last Sept. 21, ending the Blue Eagles’ three-game losing skid, the team’s worst start in 11 years.
“[Winning] does take some pressure off, it does relieve things a bit. But we’re really trying to mature a lot of younger players, a lot of players that lack significant experience. These guys deserve to enjoy them because, in the next practice, the focus is going to be on maturation and evolution and development with a view to winning more games,” Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin said.
Sporting a league-best 9-1 slate, the Green Archers have already claimed the first Final Four slot and are three games ahead of the Red Warriors (5-3) for the twice-to-beat incentive.
The Fighting Maroons opened the second round with a come-from-behind 83-73 victory over the Growling Tigers last Oct. 13.
UE, meanwhile, is coming off a 68-77 defeat to La Salle that ended its remarkable five-game winning streak last Oct. 12.
The Fighting Maroons hope to score a repeat of their 81-71 win over the Red Warriors last Sept. 14.
“We have to be consistent with what we’ve always said noong first round: responding to the challenge at hand, especially against a team like UE,” UP head coach Goldwin Monteverde said.
