JACOB Bayla's dunk late in the University of the Philippines' 82-74 win against Ateneo on Saturday caused quite the hullabaloo.
From proponents of basketball's so-called "unwritten rule" of a team no longer trying to score in an already-won game to those who point out the possibility of the quotient system being in play, fans have been split on who really is on the right.
READ: 'Battle of Katipunan' rages on as Ateneo's Alas goes at it with UP's Luanzon
But just how consequential can those two points be?
In the UAAP, those would only matter if two teams or more end up with same records at the end of the eliminations.
And as much as the quotient system is used, the premier collegiate league does not allow teams to be eliminated without prejudice.
For example, a tie for the second seed - which entails a twice-to-beat advantage - will force a playoff. A three-way logjam for No. 2, meanwhile, will be broken by quotient, with the team with the most inferior one relegated to fourth, as the remaining two teams figure in a playoff for the two seed.
And so it goes up and down the standings. But at the end of the day, Final Four berths and playoff incentives are settled via playoff.
Meaning, in general, the quotient system is only utilized to rank tied teams in question and, ultimately, determine playoff pairings.
Battle of Katipunan
Which brings us back to the UP-Ateneo game.
The win pushed the Fighting Maroons up to 9-2 to secure the season's first slot in the Final Four. Meanwhile, the loss dropped the Blue Eagles to 5-6.
With three games left in their Season 89 schedules, it's mathematically impossible that the two teams would find themselves at equal footing once more - unless they meet each other in the championship, that is.
So safe to say, there will be no need for the quotient between the Katipunan rivals.
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