The University of the Philippines and De La University battle in the second round of the UAAP Season 87 Men's Basketball in Quezon City on November 10, 2024. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

UAAP Season 87 Men's Basketball Round 2

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/173287213409720241013-UAAP87 MBB - Nic Cabañero-3352.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Action between UP and UST in the UAAP Season 87 men&#x27;s basketball tournament, at the Araneta Coliseum on October 13, 2024.  UAAP Media"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Action between UP and UST in the UAAP Season 87 men&#x27;s basketball tournament, at the Araneta Coliseum on October 13, 2024.  <em>UAAP Media</em></span></span></span>MANILA -- Top-seeded teams De La Salle University and the University of the Philippines will try to take care of business against their lower-ranked opponents and set up another meeting for the UAAP men&#x27;s basketball championship.</div><p>La Salle will take on Adamson University, while UP will be up against the University of Santo Tomas in the UAAP Season 87 Final 4 on Saturday at the Araneta Coliseum.</p><p>Both teams need to win just once in order to advance, after securing semis bonuses at the end of the elimination round.</p><p>Tip-off between UP and UST is at 3:30 p.m., with the Fighting Maroons favored to progress after winning both of their games against the Growling Tigers.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/11/16/uaap-ust-dominates-adamson-to-make-final-4-return-after-five-years-2027">READ: UST dominates Adamson to make Final 4 return after five years</a></div><p>However, UP assistant coach Christian Luanzon is not putting too much stock on their elimination round encounters. </p><p>&quot;Both games were closer than the final score,&quot; he pointed out. &quot;With [UST&#x27;s] experience, with Forthsky (Padrigao) at the point, also with (Mo) Tounkara and his abilities on both ends, you have Nic (Cabañero), and in their last game, they found sort of like a magic bunot, kung tawagin nga ni coach Pido (Jarencio), yung kay (Amiel) Acido.&quot;</p><p>&quot;We&#x27;re gonna have to prepare for all of them. It’s gonna be a good series,&quot; he added.</p><p>The Growling Tigers are making their first Final Four appearance since Season 82 (2019) when they reached the Finals after beating the Fighting Maroons twice in the step-ladder semifinals.</p><p>Jarencio stressed that UST is ready to create a new story, by pulling off a reversal of UP and making it to the league&#x27;s biggest stage.</p><p>The Fighting Maroons lived up to the billing as title favorites, finishing with an 11-3 record, securing the top two spot with two weeks left in the eliminations.</p><p>No stranger to underdog stories, Jarencio is best remembered for steering the Growling Tigers to their 18th and most recent championship in Season 69 (2006) despite being the third-ranked team in the Final Four.</p><p>&quot;Basta kami ang goal namin is, after this, we are here in the playoffs. Trabaho na ulit. Gawa tayo ng game plan kung paano talunin ang UP. parang David and Goliath yan, medyo maganda yung labanan na ito. Basta kami, laban lang kami, prepara kami. Ang mga players, healthy, ang Importante healthy kaming lahat,&quot; said Jarencio.</p><p>&quot;Ngayon, preparasyon na kami para sa Final Four, playoffs against UP. Twice to beat sila, malay mo. bilog ang bola, may tsamba. Ganyan lang kami. Basta dito lang kami sa baba, nasa lupa lang kami, tignan namin. Pagtrabahuan lang namin,&quot; he added.</p><p>UST became the first team since University of the East in Season 61 (1998) to rank third in the Final Four with a 7-7 record.</p><div><strong>-- La Salle vs. Adamson --  </strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/173287210869720241019-UAAP MBB - Raven Gonzales-5176.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Action between La Salle and Adamson in the UAAP Season 87 men&#x27;s basketball tournament at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion on October 19, 2024. UAAP Media"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Action between La Salle and Adamson in the UAAP Season 87 men&#x27;s basketball tournament at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion on October 19, 2024. <em>UAAP Media</em></span></span></span></strong>Meanwhile, the defending champion Green Archers are also looking to hand the Soaring Falcons a quick exit in the Final 4, with game time set for 6:30 p.m.</div><p>The top-ranked squad in the tournament after finishing the elimination round with a 12-2 slate, La Salle won both of their games against Adamson in the eliminations, by a combined 55 points.</p><p>The Soaring Falcons are brimming with confidence, however, after a series of wins in do-or-die games including against the University of the East in a playoff for the last semis spot on Wednesday night.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/basketball/2024/11/27/uaap-adamson-eliminates-ue-to-catch-last-bus-to-season-87-final-4-2038">READ: Adamson eliminates UE to catch last bus to Season 87 Final 4</a></div><p>&quot;The good thing about it is we don&#x27;t have to bring it to the Final Four. We just leave it at that. So, that&#x27;s the same mentality naman. Sabi namin, the next game will be different. So hopefully we give them a challenge and hopefully beat them,&quot; Adamson coach Nash Racela said.</p><p>Coach Topex Robinson relishes being the top-ranked team, but the Green Archers are not lowering their guard in the most important stage of the season.</p><p>&quot;Well, it&#x27;s an honor also. it&#x27;s really nice to, you know, be part of the team that is number one, but at this point, there&#x27;s no more, it only got you to the Final Four, you know, but it hasn&#x27;t gotten you to the finals and eventually winning a championship,&quot; Robinson said.</p><p>&quot;There&#x27;s still a lot of work to be done. We want to be, we want to set our team to a high standard and then making sure that the things that we need to work on will be addressed,&quot; he added.</p><p>The Kevin Quiambao-led Green Archers are the league&#x27;s top offensive team with 74.21 points per game.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/basketball/2024/11/28/la-salle-s-kevin-quiambao-is-uaap-mvp-once-more-1401">READ: La Salle&#x27;s Kevin Quiambao is UAAP MVP once more</a></div><p>Living up to the defensive mantra are the Falcons, who hold their foes to a league-low 61.36 points, which they hope to carry over in the Final Four.</p><p>The Growling Tigers and the Falcons hope to send the Final Four to a decider on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.</p><p>Victories for La Salle and UP will set up a rematch of last season&#x27;s Finals, which the Green Archers won in three games.</p><p>Game 1 of the best-of-three championship series will begin on December 8, also at the Mall of Asia Arena.</p><p>Adamson and Ateneo clash in the women&#x27;s step-ladder match at 12 noon, with the winner facing holders UST in another knockout match on Wednesday to determine the second finalist.</p><p>National University jumped straight to the Finals after completing a 14-game sweep of eliminations.</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IwXX5rOh1Uc?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Top-seeded teams De La Salle University and the University of the Philippines will try to take care of business against their lower-ranked opponents and set up another meeting for the UAAP men's basketball championship.</p>

Top-seeded teams De La Salle University and the University of the Philippines will try to take care of business against their lower-ranked opponents and set up another meeting for the UAAP men's basketball championship.

UAAP: UP, La Salle out to set up Finals rematch

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UAAP: UP, La Salle out to set up Finals rematch

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Published Nov 29, 2024 10:30 PM PHT

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