Ateneo de Manila University will be watching closely the playoff between archrival De La Salle University and Adamson University for the fourth and last Final Four seat in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 85 men’s basketball tournament.
The Blue Eagles finished the elimination round on top of the standings to enter the Final Four as the No. 1 seed and armed with a twice-to-beat advantage.
But while No. 2 seed and defending champion University of the Philippines, which is tied with Ateneo with 11-3 win-loss record but slid to second spot due to an inferior quotient, has locked a semis showdown with National University, the other Final Four pairing has yet to be determined.
Ateneo will wait for the result of Sunday’s playoff match between the Green Archers and the Falcons, who closed the elimination round with identical 7-7 cards, to determine its semis opponent.
Blue Eagles assistant coach Sandy Arespachoga said that the team would watch the crucial game and prepare for whichever team claims the No. 4 spot.
“It’s the Final Four already, and we can’t get too caught up in the, you know, we’re No. 1. We all know that entering the Final Four, it’s a whole new ball game. We’re gonna make sure that we don’t relax or let our guard down,” he said.
“We really have to be ready (for) whoever wins (between) Adamson or La Salle,” the deputy of head coach Tab Baldwin said.
The Blue Eagles are heading into the Final Four riding the momentum of a six-game winning streak capped by a 66-61 victory over the Falcons last Wednesday.
Ateneo swept Adamson in their elims head-to-head while splitting its two meetings with La Salle.
The Green Archers forced a playoff after hurdling University of Santo Tomas, 77-72, to end the elims.
Arespacochaga feels that the Blue Eagles would have the advantage of longer rest and preparation heading into the next round next week. Having fresher legs would be good once they meet their semis opponent.
“Well, I think one big advantage for us is they’re gonna be knocking each other out. So, we’re gonna be resting and practicing and preparing, and we’re gonna be watching the next game. I think that’s a very big advantage for us,” he said.
He, however, acknowledges that the survivor of the playoff could also benefit from the momentum it built in the do-or-die match.
“Disadvantage, probably they have momentum going into our game, because we will have a long break between games 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’d be coming from a crucial knockout game.”
