HOW fitting is it that things will be settled in one final game day in the most competitive season in recent memory?
And we'll get a rivalry game to cap it all off with heavy implications hanging in the balance.
Ateneo and La Salle put the exclamation point in this wild and wooly elimination phase of the UAAP Season 88 men's basketball tournament, while Far Eastern U is hoping to add to the madness Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
READ: SCENARIOS: One playoff berth left for La Salle, Ateneo, FEU to fight over
Topex Robinson and Tab Baldwin share the same viewpoint in acknowledging the added degree that this crucial game has between the archrivals - one that has been rescheduled after the rains washed it out last Nov. 9.
"It's always gonna be talked about. It's gonna be a lot of pressure, but what's important to us is to prepare for battle," said the Green Archers mentor. "It's gonna be another exciting end of the season. It's gonna be fun."
The Blue Eagles shot-caller retorted: "The La Salle-Ateneo rivalry and games are full of so many storylines and so many external pressures and players feel all those things and they tend to have an impact on the games, so we just have to prepare as well as we can and go in and try to play the game with composure and toughness and a true desire to come out the winner."
Ateneo emerged victorious in that first meeting last Oct. 5, 81-74, but not without a big scare once La Salle battled back from 33 points down.
Baldwin said that the game gave the Katipunan side lots of learnings, all of which they plan to bring in this pivotal tiff, as the Blue Eagles carry a 6-7 record.
"In a way, I think La Salle helped us a lot by fighting back in that game and not giving up because they gave a template to other teams to try to extend pressure. It's something that we realized we had to work on, so we got much better at that," admitted the American-Kiwi bench tactician, while expecting a vastly improved Green Archers in this 4:30 p.m. clash.
"I certainly don't think that the character of the next game with La Salle is going to look like that one. I would imagine that it'll be a tough, closely fought, competitive game, but you have to take learnings out of every game."
Robinson, meanwhile, believes that this La Salle team has been strengthened by their wounds, especially after suffering a two-game skid before pulling off a much-welcome 87-82 win over the University of the Philippines last Saturday to hike its record to 7-6.
"We're always gonna go back in those moments that we battled through, and not only in those moments that we've won, but also those moments that we've lost kasi we never let those losses get away with us not learning," he said.
"We've learned a lot from the two losses, so talagang it gave everybody a chance to look at the mistakes we've made and it kind of helps us in these games. It's really gonna be a big help for us going through these challenges, as we move along and hopefully, we get the momentum ending this elimination round."
FEU out to control what it can control
FEU (6-7) wants to join in the party when it plays Final Four-bound University of Santo Tomas (8-5) at 1:30 p.m.
There's no other option for coach Sean Chambers but to win, and if the Tamaraws do their part, then they have to root for Ateneo to force a three-way logjam at fourth.
As surprising as this situation may be for some, the PBA great shared that he really expected his wards to still be in the thick of things this late in the season owing to his immense trust in the likes of Janrey Pasaol, Kirby Mongcopa, and Jorick Bautista.
"No, I expected us to be in this position," he said. "I've always said that we're gonna be a problem and we've exceeded our win total from last season, so we knew the capabilities of this team and we're going all out for that last game."
The Growling Tigers, on the other hand, are not taking this match lightly, all the more as they view this as preparation for their Final Four duel against the Fighting Maroons.
"No bearing para sa amin, pero paghahanda na namin ito sa Final Four. Dapat sharp yung players kasi hindi kami pwedeng lumaylay, lalo na malapit na yung mga importanteng laro," said coach Pido Jarencio.
UST won its first round battle against FEU, 92-80, last Oct. 15.
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