ON the last week of the UAAP Season 86 men's basketballl double round-robin prelims, the Final Four field is far from a done deal.
Three teams might already be through to the semis, but apart from a tight three-way race for the fourth spot, the top two places and the twice-to-beat bonuses that come with it are still up for the taking.
UP and NU currently occupy the top two seeds with a joint 10-2 record, but La Salle (9-3) can still play the spoiler's role once all is done and dusted.
Here's how.
READ: La Salle drubs UE, stays in contention for twice-to-beat spot
With MVP frontrunner Kevin Quiambao leading from the front, no team has had a better leadup to the final week of prelims play than La Salle as it currently rides on a six-game win streak.
Albeit one game behind the two league leaders record-wise with just two prelims games left, the Archers still find themselves in a strong position for a last lap overtake.
And it is partly because of how UP and NU's prelims-ending match schedule panned out.
Upon completing their penultimate matches (UP vs. UST; NU vs. Adamson), the league leaders will battle it out in the elimination round finale — one that'll carry significant implications in the battle for the Top Two spots - and the Final Four pairings.
Winner aside, one of UP or NU will be guaranteed a third defeat — level with La Salle if it can stay unbeaten against FEU and first round tormentor Ateneo.
There also remains an open window for a rare three-way tie for No. 1 by the end of the elimination round, only if both UP and NU go one-of-two and La Salle wins its last two games.
Should this be the case, UAAP rules state that the team with the highest point quotient will secure the No. 1 seed and a one-game playoff for No. 2 shall take place.
Guess who has the edge in the quotient? Yes, La Salle.
La Salle carries a quotient of +7 over NU after losing its Round 1 overtime battle by three points (77-80) and winning by a comfortable 10-point margin in Round 2 (87-77) through Kevin Quiambao's historic triple-double.
The Taft side, moreover, is also up on UP with a +6 quotient from its last-gasp first round victory by three points (64-67) and a vengeful nine-point win in the second round (88-79).
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