DEFENDING champion University of the Philippines and Ateneo are out to forge a finals rematch, but National University and Adamson University are equally determined to spoil their plans.
The Fighting Maroons seek a return stint in the Big Dance when they clash with the Bulldogs today in the Final Four of the 85th UAAP basketball tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The curtain-raiser is set at 2 p.m., with No. 2 and twice-to-beat UP trying to finish off the third-ranked Bulldogs.
Ditto with the Blue Eagles, also armed with a win-once incentive, when they tangle with the fourth seeded Soaring Falcons in the nightcap at 6 o’clock.
A deciding game or games, if necessary, will be on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
The Maroons, who wound up with an 11-3 mark after the eliminations but dropped a 67-75 loss to Ateneo 11 days ago, will count on 6-foot-11 Senegalese import Malick Diouf, set to be named season MVP, Carl Tamayo, James Spencer, Zavier Lucero, and JD Cagulangan.
NU finished the eliminations with a 9-5 slate and is coming off a painful 63-63 defeat to Adamson last Saturday.
John Llyod Clemente, Jake Figueroa, Omar John, Kean Baclaan, Michael Malonzo, and Steve Nash Enriquez will carry the fight for the Bulldogs, who are in the playoffs for the first time since 2015.
NU stunned UP 80-75 in their first-round tussle last Oct. 12 but the Maroons got back at the Bulldogs with a 75-63 victory 18 days later.
Ateneo deputy coach Sandy Arespacochaga said the Eagles, who ended the eliminations with an 11-3 card, should show up with their A-Game after a lengthy break.
“Our disadvantage, probably they have momentum going into our game, because it’s quite a while before we play them, so they have that advantage,” Arespacochaga said.
“Hopefully, it would be more to our advantage rather than to them that they had one more crucial knockout game,” he added.
Ateneo will rely on naturalized Filipino center Ange Kouame, Dave Ildefonso, Kai Ballungay, BJ Andrade, and Forthsky Padrigao.
