Top-seed Tamaraws eye final vs Archers

MANILA, Philippines - Top seed Far Eastern University (FEU) guns for the first championship berth in the UAAP Season 73 men’s basketball tourney when it takes on dangerous La Salle in today’s Final Four at the Araneta Coliseum.

Gametime is at 4 p.m. with the Tams determined to barge into the finals again after failing the last four seasons, including that horrendous meltdown in 2009 when they bungled their twice-to-beat edge in the semis.

“Our objective is to make it to the finals right away and avoid a repeat of last year,” said FEU coach Glen Capacio, referring to Season 72 wherein his second-ranked Tams yielded two games to No. 3 University of the East, 74-84, and 72-78, to miss a championship stint.

Back then, their was bid badly affected by their controversial falling out with then ace Andy Barroca and the torn meniscus injury suffered by Jens Knuttel.

For this current mission, FEU is expected to field a full complement led by soon-to-be-named MVP RR Garcia, Mythical 5 member Aldrech Ramos, veteran Reil Cervantes, top freshman Terrence Romeo. They’ll also have a solid support crew led by skipper Knuttel, who rejoined the team after missing their last game due to sore eyes.

“We are ready, we have prepared for their pressing defense and we will match their (La Salle) intensity,” said Capacio, himself eyeing to steer the team to the finals and the crown for the first time in four years.

Standing in their way are the young and intense La Salle cagers, who are back in the semis after missing the playoffs last year.

The Archers have shown they can duke it out with the big boys of the league, engaging the Tams in two games that went into overtime before surrendering an 80-84 setback in the first meeting and exacting revenge on the league-leaders with an 80-66 rout the next.

“We are okay in our preparations and the boys are doing well in practice. We beat FEU once so I think we can be competitive. We just have to be aggressive from start to finish,” said DLSU mentor Dindo Pumaren, also in the hunt for his maiden title as coach after a failed bid with University of the East (UE) in 2007.

A win by La Salle will set the stage for a rubber match with FEU on Tuesday at the Araneta Coliseum.

The other semis pairing pitting No. 2 Ateneo and No. 4 Adamson will be played on Sunday yet.

Meanwhile, defending juniors champion Ateneo and short-handed UST collide at 11 a.m. today also at the Big Dome, both seeking the first of two wins needed to win the title.

The Tiger Cubs beat the Blue Eaglets, 77-71, to reduce the title showdown to a race-to-two affair last Thursday.

UST, however, will miss wingman Jaypee Sarcia, who will serve his one-game suspension for getting ejected for hitting Ateneo’s Jay Sacluti in the previous game.

Olmin Leyba, Philippine Star