MANILA, Philippines—For Far Eastern University, the path to the UAAP men’s basketball Finals isn’t as easy as it looks.
Although the Tamaraws hold all the edges, coach Glenn Capacio sees La Salle as a big hurdle in FEU’s bid to nail the first championship berth Thursday.
“We have the advantage in experience, but they’re (Green Archers) a hungry team,” said Capacio. “They’re young, aggressive and they want to prove something.”
The Tamaraws, the No. 1 seed and toting a twice-to-beat edge, plan to get the job done quickly against the fourth-ranked Archers at the start of the Final Four at 4 p.m. at the Araneta Coliseum.
Defending champion Ateneo, the second seed also needing to win just once to return to the Finals, kicks off its own series versus No. 3 Adamson at 4 p.m. on Sunday also at the Big Dome.
The Tamaraws boast an impressive 12-2 elimination run anchored on RR Garcia—the league revelation who wound up winning the MVP—Aldrech Ramos, Reil Cervantes and Rookie of the Year Terrence Romeo.
But La Salle coach Dindo Pumaren pointed out that one of the Tamaraws’ two losses came against the Archers.
And with the way his young crew manhandled the Tamaraws in the second round with an embarrassing 80-66 demolition, Pumaren said the Archers have a shot at forging a winner-take-all showdown.
“We have to be very aggressive,” said Pumaren, who’s leaning on Simon Atkins, Maui Villanueva, Jovet Mendoza and rookies Luigi Dela Paz, Almond Vosotros and Jarelan Tampus.
This time, though, Capacio expects his Tamaraws to match the Archers’ energy.
“In our last game, we got disrupted with their pressure defense, we weren’t able to react,” said Capacio. “But now we must be able to execute, no matter the pressure.”
The Tamaraws won their first meeting, but needed Garcia’s endgame heroics to escape with an 84-80 double overtime triumph.
Pumaren said his Archers are back in top form even after closing the eliminations with back-to-back losses for an 8-6 record.
“The players know it’s a must-win situation for us,” said Pumaren. “After we made it to the Final Four, I think the players relaxed. But the team is okay now. The boys have been playing well in practice.”
In junior action, University of Santo Tomas shoots for a second victory against defending champion Ateneo in Game 2 of their title series at 11 a.m.
The Tiger Cubs snapped the Blue Eaglets’ 14-game winning streak last Tuesday, 77-71, as MVP Kevin Ferrer posted 35 points and 14 rebounds in the championship opener.
The Eaglets, powered by Kiefer Ravena, only need to win twice to bag their third straight crown, an incentive for sweeping the eliminations.
But the Tiger Cubs, who need three wins to cop the title, virtually leveled the series after claiming Game 1.
The Cubs pulled off the victory despite the ejection of key cog Jaype Sarcia, who will serve a one-game suspension Thursday.
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