After a wildly unpredictable but exciting elimination round, the Season 88 UAAP Men’s Basketball Tournament is down to the Final Four: NU Bulldogs, UP Fighting Maroons, UST Growling Tigers, and La Salle Green Archers. With NU and UP set to take on UST and La Salle, respectively, and enjoying the coveted twice-to-beat advantage, let’s take a deeper look at each matchup:
(1) NU Bulldogs vs (4) De La Salle Green Archers
How they got to the Final Four: The Bulldogs were the first team to clinch a Final Four slot, going 6–1 in the first round and 5–2 in the second to enter the Big Dance with no complications. La Salle, in contrast, was up and down all season long and needed to beat their arch-rivals, the Ateneo Blue Eagles, on the last day of the eliminations to book a Final Four spot.
What NU Needs to Do: Maintain composure and defensive discipline.
The Bulldogs’ modus operandi this season has been their defence, and it will be tested in the Final Four by a team that just got one of its best players back (Mason Amos) and will have another returning just in time for the playoffs (Kean Baclaan). Both Baclaan and Amos give the Green Archers added firepower, and it will be incumbent on NU to clamp down and keep the game low-scoring.
What La Salle Needs to Do: Make their free throws.
The charity stripe has been the Green Archers’ Achilles’ heel this season, and it has cost them at least a couple of losses that went down to the wire. So far, La Salle is the worst free-throw shooting team in the league at just over 60%—and this weakness reared its ugly head in the Green Archers’ eight-point loss to the Bulldogs in the second round when they shot just 20-for-36. In the playoffs, where every point matters, La Salle will need to shoot better if it wants to beat NU twice in the next few days.
(2) UP Fighting Maroons vs (3) UST Growling Tigers
How they got to the Final Four: UP lost their first two games but then went 10–2 the rest of the way to seal their Final Four spot as the second seed. UST, on the other hand, won their first two outings en route to a 5–2 start but then lost four straight, putting their Final Four chances in peril. However, three straight wins against the UE Red Warriors, Ateneo Blue Eagles, and NU Bulldogs propelled the Tigers into the postseason.
What UP Needs to Do: Keep the game close.
UP enters the Final Four as defending champions with a twice-to-beat advantage. But UST has already shown it can compete against the Fighting Maroons, beating them on opening day and pushing them to the limit in their second-round rematch. In the Final Four, UP’s formula should be simple: don’t let UST get into an offensive rhythm and keep the game within striking distance. Then, in the fourth quarter, the Season 87 champions can lean on their championship pedigree and the peerless shot-making of Harold Alarcon and Gerry Abadiano.
What UST Needs to Do: Open the game up.
UST needs to push the tempo and get their early offense right from the start to build confidence—and possibly a sizable advantage. One thing the Growling Tigers should avoid is engaging in a tight, down-the-trenches war of attrition with a team full of championship experience and two proven closers in Alarcon and Abadiano. In addition, UST’s poor free-throw shooting—they are last in the league—would put them at a significant disadvantage if the game goes down to the wire. This isn’t to say the Tigers can’t win in a close game against the Fighting Maroons—they probably can—but a strong start would surely help.
When Will the Final Four Start?
The UAAP Men’s Basketball Tournament Final Four will start on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. NU will take on La Salle in the first game set at 1:30 p.m., while UP will face off with UST in the second game scheduled at 4:30 p.m. Games will be aired live on One Sports (free TV channel 41, Cignal TV channel 6), Pilipinas Live (streaming app and website), and the UAAP Varsity Channel on Cignal TV (channel 263 HD).
