CRACK FEU guard Terrence Romeo reacts as UE’s Lord Casajeros sneaks in from behind to dispossess him in last week’s game won by the Tamaraws at MOA Arena. AUGUST DELA CRUZ
Far Eastern University coach Nash Racela wants his Tamaraws to put their minds on the game, not on their perfect record.
The Tamaraws, now the only unbeaten squad, shoot for a fifth straight win when they face National University in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament at 4 p.m. today at Mall of Asia Arena.
“Once you start thinking about the record, that’s the start of your downfall,” said Racela.
Ateneo, the five-time champions that finally scored a breakthrough victory, goes for a second successive win versus the struggling University of the East in the 2 p.m. first game.
Showing better end-game poise, the Blue Eagles halted their three-game skid with a 71-59 drubbing of Adamson last Sunday behind JP Erram, Juami Tiongson and Ryan Buenafe.
“I think we have what it takes to beat anybody,” said Ateneo coach Bo Perasol, noting that his Eagles have adjusted to the limited playing minutes of injured star Kiefer Ravena.
But Perasol’s frontline, which lost another big man in Gideon Babilonia due to a shoulder injury, needs to deal with the return of UE’s African center Charles Mammie from suspension.
“It’s always a challenge for our team to be able to match up with big guys,” said Perasol. “So UE will be a big challenge for us even if they’re coming off a loss.”
The Warriors came out fighting in their recent setback to University of Santo Tomas, 77-88, despite the absence of Mammie, who served a one-game suspension for incurring a unsportsmanlike foul each in UE’s games against NU and Adamson.
NU coach Eric Altamirano, meanwhile, expects to see a confident FEU squad boosted by a come-from-behind overtime win against La Salle, 83-79, behind the heroics of veteran guards RR Garcia and Terrence Romeo.
“They just came off a big win, so we have to be ready,” said Altamirano. “Right now they’re looking like the team to beat.”