ONE ticket remains for the UAAP Season 84 Final Four and with one gameday left this Labor Day, every basket matters.
Far Eastern University, National University, and Adamson University are still in the running for a place in the last four which makes all of their games at the Mall of Asia Arena must-see.
Adamson raises the curtain against cellar-dwelling University of the East in a must-win tiff at 10 a.m., followed by FEU taking on also-ran University of Santo Tomas at 12:30 p.m. and National University fighting for its life against third seed La Salle at 4:30 p.m.
The Tamaraws and the Bulldogs are in fourth with identical 6-7 cards, while the Soaring Falcons aren't far behind at 5-8.
Let's take a look on how this race could pan out:
Adamson
Simple: Adamson is in a one miss-you die scenario.
If the Soaring Falcons somehow lose to the Red Warriors, they are plain and simple out of the running as they will drop down to a 5-9 record.
Unfortunately for Adamson, a win also could not guarantee a Final Four chance as it will rely on the next games of FEU and NU.
Theoretically, if Adamson wins, this is how the scenarios will play out.
FEU win, NU loss
FEU getting to 7-7 and NU falling to 6-8 will automatically put the Tamaraws in the No. 4 spot and will extend the longest active Final Four streak to seven straight seasons.
FEU loss, NU win
NU, with it improving to 7-7 and FEU dropping to 6-8, will claim the no. 4 spot as it returns to the semifinals after last reaching it in Season 78 in 2015.
FEU win, NU win
If FEU and NU wind up with identical 7-7 records, they will face off in a fourth place playoff on Wednesday for the right to claim the No. 4 spot.
Adamson's chances will depend on other team's results.
FEU loss, NU loss
This is where Adamson is putting all of its bets as it will see three teams tied at 6-8.
Not only would it keep the Soaring Falcons in the running but it will also gain a bye as it holds the highest quotient among the three teams in their head-to-head battles. Adamson is at 1.25 with a plus-5 point differential, followed by NU with 0.25 with a minus-2 point differential, and FEU with 0.75 with a minus-3 point differential.
FEU and NU play a one-game knockout on Wednesday with the winner facing Adamson in a fourth place-playoff on Friday.
The fourth spot also isn't the only thing to be decided in this gameday as the monumental clash between Ateneo (13-0) and University of the Philippines (11-2) at 7 p.m. will dictate how the postseason will be played.
Ateneo win
For the second straight season, the top-seeded Blue Eagles will complete a 14-0 eliminations sweep and will gain an outright finals berth.
Ateneo will lie in wait for the last team standing in the stepladder semis before engaging in a best-of-three championship series.
UP win
The second-seed Fighting Maroons will gain a lot of momentum if they can halt the historic 39-game win streak of the defending champions.
More importantly, there will be a traditional Final Four format where Ateneo and UP, as the top two seeds, will enjoy a twice-to-beat advantage against the third and fourth-ranked teams in the semifinals.
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