REIGNING champions Ateneo Blue Eagles battle its fierce rivals De La Salle Green Archers in a game with massive Final Four implications in the UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball tournament on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023
The Blue Eagles seek to secure its ninth consecutive Final Four appearance, while the Green Archers are eyeing a second-round sweep at 6 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
A victory by Ateneo will oust the idle Adamson University from the Final Four race. Sporting a 7-6 record in fourth place, the Blue Eagles are ahead by a game over the fifth-running Soaring Falcons (6-7).
Adamson University is hoping for a De La Salle victory over Ateneo and looks to prevail over the also-ran University of the East at 2 p.m. on Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena to force a playoff for the No. 4 spot.
Having won its last seven games, the 10-3 Green Archers are in prime position to not only nab a twice-to-beat advantage but also secure the top seed in the double-round
eliminations.
De La Salle can capture the Final Four incentive if it beats Ateneo, coupled with a University of the Philippines (11-2) victory over National University (10-3) at 4 p.m. on Sunday.
Ateneo defeated De La Salle 77-72 in their first meeting on Oct. 4, a time when coach Topex Robinson encountered early-season problems with the health of his players.
“It should always be just doing our best, outworking the other team. I know there’s gonna be a lot of distraction coming into this Saturday’s game but it shouldn’t affect us, and make our circle solid that whatever challenge that we’re gonna face, we get to get better because after that, you play in the next playing date,” said Robinson.
