WHO would have known that the games forced to be rescheduled by Typhoon Paeng would carry heavy implications in the Final Four picture of the UAAP Season 85 men's basketball tournament?
Over a month since their postponement, here we are with two games left in the eliminations and with so much at stake at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Clearly, the Bonifacio Day double-header will really be a war for the teams as they fight for their lives just to make it through.
Here's what lies ahead this Wednesday:
2 p.m. - La Salle vs UST
4 p.m. - Adamson vs Ateneo
And here's how the teams stand:
UP 11-3 (twice-to-beat)
Ateneo 10-3 (twice-to-beat)
NU 9-5 (locked at No. 3)
Adamson 7-6
La Salle 6-7
Now, let's look at the races still to be determined by these two games.
BATTLE FOR NO. 1
Ateneo's big 75-67 victory over University of the Philippines last Saturday didn't just allow the Blue Eagles to get one over the Fighting Maroons.
The Katipunan side, as shaky as they have been in this campaign, clinched twice-to-beat advantage and can still dislodge the defending champions at the top spot heading into the semis.
Ateneo only needs to beat Adamson at 4 p.m. to claim the pole position despite holding identical 11-3 records.
And although the Blue Eagles can have the luxury of picking their Final Four date, coach Tab Baldwin made it clear that he has no other plans but to emerge victorious. "There's only one way to play the game of basketball: play to win," he said.
If Ateneo loses to Adamson, though, UP will remain at the top of the ladder and set up an Ateneo-NU clash.
WAR FOR NO. 4
One ticket remains in the Final Four and only two teams are still left in contention.
Pressure is now on La Salle to take care of business and take down the cellar-dwelling University of Santo Tomas at 2 p.m. to hike its record to 7-7.
It's the unfortunate position that the Taft side found themselves in after a shock 80-72 overtime loss to University of the East last Saturday.
But that's not all, as the Green Archers will have to root for Ateneo to beat Adamson and force the fourth and final spot in the semifinals, tentatively set on Dec. 4.
Adamson stunning Ateneo would eliminate all complications and hand the San Marcelino side the No. 4 seed as the Soaring Falcons would end their campaign with an 8-6 card, one game ahead of La Salle.
There's also one more result that Adamson will be interested in and rooting for: a UST upset of La Salle in the first game.
It's a remote yet still feasible outcome as the Soaring Falcons will have to cheer for the Growling Tigers -- ironically with UST's lone win coming at Adamson's expense way back at the start of the season.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
