UE battles UST, eyes Final 4 playoff with NU
MANILA, Philippines — Hoping to sustain its remarkable surge, University of the East shoots for a semifinal playoff spot against University of Santo Tomas Tuesday on the final day of eliminations in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Red Warriors, buoyed by a string of upset wins over league powerhouses, collide with the Tigers at 2 p.m. hoping to tie idle National University at No. 4 with a ninth victory and forge a playoff for the last Final Four berth.
“We have to show again that survival instinct,” said UE coach Derrick Pumaren.
Cellar-dwellers University of the Philippines (1-12) and Adamson (0-13) wrap up their campaigns in the second game at 4 p.m.
Ateneo topped the eliminations with an 11-3 record to nail the first twice-to-beat semifinal advantage.
Defending champion La Salle and Far Eastern University, although already assured of semifinal berths, will dispute the No. 2 spot, which comes with the other semifinal incentive, in a playoff duel this weekend.
Tied at 10-3, the Archers and the Tamaraws will again square off in the Final Four, making their playoff match the start of a virtual best-of-three series.
NU holds solo fourth at 9-5 and may complete the Final Four cast if the already-eliminated UST plays spoiler against UE.
But Pumaren thinks his Warriors have a shot at staying alive with Bong Galanza, Dan Alberto and Paul Varilla raising their games to backstop Roi Sumang and Charles Mammie.
“We need everybody on board and on the same page,” Pumaren said of his Warriors, who looked out of it two weeks ago, but incredibly revived their campaign by shocking La Salle (68-66), FEU (94-71) and NU (64-55).
“Everybody should again be in one direction. Hopefully, we can continue to do that,” added Pumaren.
The Tigers, runner-up in the last two seasons, are out to salvage some pride after crashing out of the Final Four with a 5-8 card.
The Falcons, meanwhile, go for their first triumph to avoid duplicating their winless campaigns in 2000 and 2001.
