SURGING La Salle shoots for the first UAAP championship berth against Far Eastern University today, with coach Nash Racela admitting that his Tamaraws are in for a tough time against what he perceives to be the league’s next dominant squad.
The Green Archers, the No. 2 seed toting a twice-to-beat advantage, hope to clinch the slot at the first opportunity against the Tamaraws in the Final Four of the men’s basketball tournament at 4 p.m. at Mall of Asia Arena.
“It’s a given that if you play La Salle, you have to play your A-game to beat them,” Racela said at the PSA Forum yesterday at Shakey’s Malate.
“You have to play almost perfect. La Salle is the ‘new Ateneo.’ They can dominate. But I’m not saying they’re not beatable.”
Racela drew the comparison with the five-time champion Blue Eagles as the Archers stayed unbeaten in their last eight games.
Working behind Jeron Teng and Jason Perkins, the Archers set the longest winning streak this season, besting the Tamaraws’ 7-0 first-round sweep.
But La Salle coach Juno Sauler said he isn’t looking too far ahead even if his Archers are favored after outlasting the Tamaraws, 74-69, in their playoff for the No. 2 spot last Saturday.
“Our mindset has always been the same each and every game—we just approach the game at hand,” he said. “We’re not looking at where we are. We’re just focused on what we need to do in the game.”
The Tamaraws aim to push the series to a winner-take-all, just like what University of Santo Tomas did in its 71-62 upset of No. 1 National University at the start of their semifinal series Sunday.
“Our last game was close, that’s one thing that’s very positive,” said Racela, who is relying on MVP Terrence Romeo and RR Garcia. “As a coach, I just have to do a better job preparing my players.”
The Bulldogs, who are vying to advance to the Finals for the first time in 43 years, will dispute the title slot against the Tigers on Saturday.