AS the chase for Final Four berths heats up, University of the Philippines coach Goldwin Monteverde has urged the Fighting Maroons to play with consistency.
“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,” Monteverde said.
Whether UP heeds the challenge will be known when it faces University of the East today, needing a win to assure itself of at least a playoff for a Last Four slot in the 87th UAAP basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
Weather permitting, the game is set at 6:30 p.m. after Ateneo clashes with Adamson University in a crucial tiff in the curtain-raiser at 3:30.
UP scored a come-from-behind 83-73 victory over University of Santo Tomas last Oct. 13 that hiked the Maroons’ mark to 7-1 behind defending champion La Salle, which is sporting a 9-1 card.
The Green Archers have already bagged the first semifinals spot and are three games ahead of the Red Warriors (5-3) for a twice-to-beat incentive.
Monteverde will rely on Francis Lopez, Terrence Fortea, Harold Alarcon, Quentin Millora-Brown, and JD Cagulangan.
UE is coming off a 68-77 defeat to La Salle last Oct. 12 that ended its five-game winning streak.
The Maroons subdued the Warriors 81-71 when they first met last Sept. 14.
The Recto-based cagers will count on Nigerian big man Precious Momowei, John Abate, Wello Lingolingo, and Rainer Maga.
“The focus is going to be again on maturation and evolution and development with a view to winning more games. But more importantly, and to seasoning players for whatever future they have at Ateneo, whatever future they have in basketball,” Blue Eagles tactician Tab Baldwin said. “We had such a tough start, it allows us, I guess, to be a little bit more laser focused on how these guys are growing and developing as players.
“We all know that the philosophy of the Blue Eagle program is that process yields results.”
After compiling a woeful 1-6 slate in the first-round, Ateneo downed National University and UST to keep its Final Four hopes alive. The 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 smarting from a 45-70 beating at the hands of Salle last Saturday.
