Adamson automatically clinched the second semifinal berth following the recent losses of La Salle and National University in the men’s basketball tournament over the weekend.
The Falcons’ eight wins in 11 games proved good enough for a Final Four ticket as the Archers and the Bulldogs, tied in fifth spot at 4-7, can only reach a maximum of seven wins.
Ateneo claimed the first Final Four seat and the twice-to-beat advantage—the bonus given to the top two teams at the end of the eliminations—after stretching its unbeaten run to 11 games last Sunday.
But the Blue Eagles are also on track for a 14-game elimination sweep, which will propel the defending champions straight to the Finals. In this scenario, the three other top finishers will dispute the remaining title slot in a step-ladder semifinals.
“We’ve decided we’ll just take it one game at a time, but if we do get an opportunity to sweep, we’ll go for it,” said coach Norman Black after Ateneo crushed La Salle, 79-62, Sunday.
The weekend results also secured for Far Eastern University, running third with a 7-4 slate, at least a Final Four playoff.
University of Santo Tomas, meanwhile, solidified its hold of fourth spot at 6-5 and forging a two-win cushion over the Archers and the Bulldogs.
“The positive thing is we’re two full games ahead [of La Salle and NU],” said UST coach Pido Jarencio. “We want to be in the Final Four, but there’s still a lot of possibilities. We can even go for No. 2 since we’re still facing Adamson and FEU.”
The Tigers downed the Archers (60-52) and the University of the East Warriors (54-45) recently with Karim Abdul—the recipient of the Accel-3XVI UAAP Press Corps Player of the Week honor backed by Gatorade—averaging 12.5 points and 12.5 rebounds in those games.
“Karim is now consistent with his game,” Jarencio said of his 6-foot-6 Cameroonian recruit. “He’s now unstoppable inside. He has blended with his teammates and he has learned the Filipino-style of basketball. He has adjusted.”