Bit of UST history plays into Final Four duels
University of Santo Tomas once managed to overcome an opponent’s twice-to-beat advantage in the UAAP men’s basketball Final Four.
That was 12 years ago, in Season 76, and it is a memory that will crawl into the two semifinal brackets of this Season 88 tournament.
No. 1 National University battles No. 4 La Salle while No. 2 University of the Philippines takes on the third-seeded hosts in a doubleheader that starts at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
NU coach Jeff Napa is not taking any chances despite his team having crucial protection.
“We learned the hard way when we had a twice-to-beat advantage, and we just blew it, if I recall it right,” Napa said, referring to his team’s defeat to the No. 4 UST squad that year. “So there’s no assurance, and there’s no guarantee that if you have a twice-to-beat advantage, you will reach the championship.”
“What’s important is how we perform,” Napa added.
The Maroons will also feel the same way, especially since it was UST that pulled off the feat.
But after starting 0-2 in the season and then battling their way to the No 2 seed, Noy Remogat and his teammates are excited to take care of business right away—but they will try to keep their emotions in check.
“Sometimes excitement can lead you to trouble,” he said.
The Maroons and the Tigers split their elimination round assignments.
La Salle, meanwhile, will go into the semifinal duel against NUaware of the odds they need to surmount.
“We’re just gonna keep battling and grinding,” coach Topex Robinson said.
Meanwhile, in the women’s division that will be played earlier on Wednesday, NU and Ateneo battle for the right to face undefeated UST in the Finals.
