Tamaraws eye No. 10; Archers battle Bulldogs

FAR EASTERN University hopes to avoid another close call against Adamson, more so now that the also-ran Falcons have been emboldened by a huge upset win.

“We can’t take any team for granted, even if they’re at the bottom,” said FEU coach Nash Racela. “All of them gave us a hard time in the first round.”

Gunning for a 10th victory in 11 games, the Tamaraws aim to boost their bid for a twice-to-beat semifinal bonus versus the Falcons in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament today.

Game time is 2 p.m. at Mall of Asia Arena.

The Tamaraws only need a couple more wins to secure the semifinal incentive given to the top two teams in the eliminations.

But while FEU’s goal is to stay at No. 1, La Salle and National University face a bigger challenge in their crucial 4 p.m. battle.

“The way I see it, we have to win all our remaining games,” NU coach Eric Altamirano said, as his Bulldogs (4-7) try to catch up with the fourth-running Green Archers (5-5).

“Plus, we’re now relying on other teams to lose. It’s a very tall order for us.”

Although their title defense had been nothing but tough, the Bulldogs hope to rebound from a 59-68 setback to Ateneo last Sunday.

The Archers also try to bounce back from an embarrassing 75-74 loss to the cellar-dwelling Falcons last Saturday.

But those defeats hardly put the Bulldogs on an equal footing with the Archers, said Altamirano. “They’re coming off a loss, but they have a better record,” he said. “We just have to stay positive. There’s always a miracle.”

In the first round, the Archers nipped the Bulldogs by just four points, 67-63.