Ateneo, Adamson collide
ATENEO and Adamson collide in a crucial battle that has a lot of implications for the last Final Four berth in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament today, weather permitting, at the 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 dropped 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 from the hands of defending champion La Salle last Saturday.
Ateneo defeated the Falcons, 60-51, last Sept. 21 that ended the Blue Eagles’ three-game losing skid, the team’s worst start in 11 years.
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.
“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 coach Tab Baldwin said.
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,” said UP coach Goldwin Monteverde.