The Men’s Final 4 starts this weekend. Even with our team already out it, it would still be interesting to see how the four remaining squads will fare in this stage of the tournament.
- Will it be back-to-back for the Blue Eagles?
Just like last year, Ateneo won all but 1 game in the eliminations and it all appears that they are all set for another grand coronation at seasons end. The defending champions are in class of their own all season with their consistency and composure. - Will the Tams reclaim lost glory?
FEU is now experiencing the fruits of their rebuilding program which started a couple of seasons back. Solid in all positions, this then-young core has now matured and is ready to regain the crown they last won in 2005. However, issues have just surfaced regarding their best pg Barroca. Will this affect their F4 performance? - Will the Red Warriors finally end it?
End their age-old title drought, that is. The last time UE won the UAAP 24 years ago, none of their current players were probably born yet. Well they came close 2 years ago (we all know what happened there). - Will the Tigers have another miracle run?
It was not too long ago when UST staged one of the biggest upsets in UAAP history enroute to the title. Can they replicate this feat? This was during Jarencio’s first year as coach, for which he was lionized (or should it be “tigerized”?). This year, he’s been criticized for UST’s performance. Will he redeem himself? Interestingly, UST is the only team our Green Archers swept this year.
Ateneo (1) vs UST (4)
Photos Courtesy of Inboundpass.com
- For UST, here’s the good news: They have the league MVP. The bad news: They have only one of him. They’re also in a 3-game losing streak and must beat the defending champions twice or call it a season.
- Everything favors Ateneo here. UST is undersized in the paint and has no answer against the formidable frontline of the Blue Eagles. Salva’s 1-game suspension should not seriously undermine their chances.
- The Tigers also have to deal with the explosive backcourt of Ateneo (Salamat, Reyes, Monfort) who are all deadly on the perimeter and the open court. UST’s Fortuna and Bautista can hit their long shots, but are inconsistent. One bright spot is Teng, but Ateneo has too many offensive options and this will definitely spell trouble for UST.
- It will practically take a miracle for the Tigers to win twice. Then again, overcoming such obstacle is nothing new for them. If Ababou and Mirza get hot, they have a chance. History is on their side – they overcame such a semis disadvantage twice in the past which probably makes them the only school to achieve such a feat.
- It will take 40 minutes of pure UST will on both ends of the court to take Ateneo down. The Tigers must get their fastbreak game going and be hot from the outside in order to have a good shot in this series.
Prediction: Ateneo in 1
FEU (2) vs UE (3)
Photos Courtesy of Inboundpass.com
- This series could go either way. The teams split their elimination round match-ups. UE is on a 6-game winning run while FEU struggled in their final two games.
- Man for man, the Tamaraws have the edge here with 3 RP team members, an explosive rookie and a stellar cast of role players. They have the deeper bench.
- For UE, being in the final 4 certainly brings a lot of bad memories for them. They never won a series wherein they were the lower seeded team. Come to think of it, they never won a series when they had twice-to-beat edge either.
- The Red Warriors seem like a well-oiled machine as of late but it remains to be seen if they can sustain this same intensity going into the semis. History is not on their side when it comes to these situations.
- The Tamaraws’ experience and twice-to-beat edge might just be enough to book them in the finals but if the Warriors remain red hot, they might just pull off some surprises along the way.
- At the forward and center slots, it’s more or less even. UE’s version of the “bruise brothers”, Espiritu and Llagas are matched by FEU’s Ramos and Cervantes. At the guard positions, UE has Lee while FEU has super rookie Garcia, Barroca, and Knuttel – advantage to FEU’s backcourt.
- It remains to be seen if the reported issues between the school and Barroca will affect FEU’s performance.
Prediction: FEU in 2
