ATENEO de Manila hopes not to play with a limp as it faces Far Eastern University (FEU) in the Final Four of the Season 80 University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball tournament today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Their winning run halted last Sunday by the De La Salle Green Archers, the Blue Eagles hope to get back on track as they brandish a twice-to-beat advantage over the No. 4 Tamaraws in the match set at 4 p.m.
Ateneo failed to sweep the 14-game eliminations after absorbing a 76-79 setback to De La Salle. The loss also foiled the Blue Eagles’ bid to advance outright to the finals.
“It would have been nice to have a sweep. So now, we just have to take a different route to try and do what we really want to do,” Ateneo Coach Tab Baldwin said.
“But things like a sweeps and undefeated seasons are things you dream about. But you got to leave them behind pretty quick. Even if we win today, we got to leave it behind because the golden apple that we’re after is still in front of us.”
Baldwin added his wards—led by Thirdy Ravena, Matt and Mike Nieto, Isaac Go, Chiz Ikeh and Anton Asistio—are ready for the Tamaraws.
“I don’t have any doubts about our players’ mentality. We understand the importance of being ready for the next game. That’s not going to change. We’ve set that template, we’ve adhered to it all year long. We’re not going to stray from that now,” he said.
The Tamaraws, the winningest in the UAAP with 20 titles, are expected to come out fuming and extend their season to another game—and avenge their 82-94 and 59-70 in the first- and second-round eliminations, respectively.
FEU Head Coach Olsen Racela, in his first Final Four appearance as a collegiate coach, wanted his players to play inspired and display a never-say-die attitude.