JUST one spot remains in this crazy UAAP Season 88 men's basketball tournament - and all will be settled once and for all on Wednesday.
To recap, the top three teams in the Final Four are now set with National U (11-3), the University of the Philippines (10-4), and University of Santo Tomas (8-5) all booking their postseason tickets.
READ: UST catches fire late vs NU to claim third seed in Final Four
So with two games left in the elimination schedule in UST vs. Far Eastern U then Ateneo vs. La Salle, who will get that last seat?
Let's take a look at the scenarios.
La Salle Green Archers (7-6)
As we said before, the fourth spot is La Salle's to lose.
All the Green Archers need is to get back at rival Ateneo and once they win that game, plain and simple, they catch the last bus in this wild campaign.
But what if it loses?
That drops the Taft side to an even 7-7 card, which means a tied record with the Blue Eagles.
That also means we're bound to see one more Ateneo-La Salle showdown in the fourth-place playoff.
Ateneo Blue Eagles (6-7)
An Ateneo win against its archrival will not guarantee a playoff berth just yet, but it will force an eliminator for the fourth seed.
That's the one and only way for the Blue Eagles - and they would take it, especially as that will mean they have the psychological advantage against La Salle after also taking the 81-74 victory back in the first round.
Lose, and that will be two straight seasons that the Katipunan side won't be present in the Final Four. Yes, back-to-back years that Tab Baldwin's campaign comes to a close right after the eliminations.
Far Eastern U Tamaraws (6-7)
Odds are stacked against FEU, but that doesn't mean there's no chance.
The Tamaraws have to first hurdle a UST team that will no longer be affected whatever the result of their meeting. Growling Tigers coach Pido Jarencio said so himself they're treating that match as 'preparation' for the next round.
Then, FEU has to root for Ateneo to win against La Salle in the second game to force a three-way logjam for fourth with identical 7-7 slates.
In that scenario, the Tamaraws play the Green Archers in the first phase of the fourth-place playoff, with the winner facing the Blue Eagles for the last semis spot.
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.
