Bulldogs, Tamaraws draw inspiration from Final 4 coups

MANILA, Philippines — A day before the UAAP Finals decider, Far Eastern University and National University look back and try to draw inspiration from their respective series that propelled them to the championship showdown.

The Tamaraws and the Bulldogs, each confident of completing a historic title romp, clash in the winner-take-all Game 3 at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Both hope to get a boost from their huge Final Four feat two weeks ago, when the Tamaraws dethroned the La Salle Green Archers and the Bulldogs ousted the top-seeded Ateneo Blue Eagles.

“It’s another do-or-die, so how we prepared and what we did in our previous do-or-die games, we want to have that again,” standout guard Gelo Alolino said of the Bulldogs, who survived four no-tomorrow contests this season, including two against the Eagles in the Final Four.

“In our minds, we know we have to bring out that kind of game [against Ateneo].”

Showing incredible will in every knockout game, the Bulldogs had it in full display again when they forged a rubber match for the crown with a commanding Game 2 triumph, 62-47, last week.

But for the Tamaraws, who took Game 1 of the title series with a 75-70 decision, they want to relive the poise and focus they showed in responding to adversity.

“It’s on us how we’ll adjust,” said FEU coach Nash Racela after the Game 2 loss where the Tamaraws bowed to the Bulldogs for the first time in four games this season.

In the Final Four, the Tamaraws also played a virtual best-of-three series against the Archers, starting with a playoff for the No. 2 spot and the twice-to-beat semifinal advantage.

Although the Tamaraws clinched the bonus, the Archers stunned them for the first time in four meetings at the start of the Final Four to forge a decider for the championship berth.

The knockout match could have gone either way, but Mac Belo drained a buzzer-beating triple that sent the Tamaraws to the Finals and ended the Archers’ back-to-back title bid.

“We’re looking at the series against La Salle,” said Racela. “It’s the same thing, [Game 1] gave us a cushion. Now we want the same result—winning the third game.”

A victory will solidify the Tamaraws’ status of having the most successful basketball program in the league with a record 20 championships.

But it will be likewise historic if the No. 4 Bulldogs triumph as it will end the league’s longest title drought of 60 years, and at the same time, turn them into the lowest-ranked team to win a crown since the Final Four format was intitutionalized in 1994.

“We don’t want to lose our focus,” said Alolino.