UNBEATEN leader Ateneo de Manila tries to become the first team to enter the Final Four in Season 80 University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament as the Blue Eagles target win No. 10 against the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws on October 21 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Blue Eagles try to seal the first semifinals berth when they clash with the Tamaraws at 4 p.m.
Defending champion De La Salle, meanwhile, seeks to keep its hold of second spot when it faces third-running Adamson University at 2 p.m.
The Green Archers (7-2) won their first two matches in the second round to recover from their loss to the Blue Eagles at the end of the first round. They face a dangerous Soaring Falcons side, who carry a 6-3 card.
Ateneo Coach Sandy Arespacochaga said their streak would not mean anything unless they make the Final Four.
“We have nine games, and that’s ours already,” Arespacochaga said. “What we don’t have is the next game, the next win. So that’s our emphasis. We don’t want to dwell on the games that we already had, we’d like to look at what we don’t have yet.”
But he warned his wards—led by Thirdy Ravena, Chiz Ikeh, Anton Asistio, Mike and Matt Nieto—that FEU will always be a dangerous team.
“They are fast and athletic, and those [traits] make them dangerous,” he said.
So, how dangerous could the Tamaraws be? In their previous game, they blasted the University of Santo Tomas Tigers to smithereens in a 96-70 blowout, the most lopsided result so far this season.
Ateneo beat FEU in the first round, 94-82, prompting FEU Head Coach Olsen Racela to dig into his play book to avoid the same result.
“They [Ateneo] are playing really great basketball. We’ll look for ways to try to stop them. It’s going to be a tough game for us, but we’ll be there fighting,” Racela said.