DEFENDING champion De La Salle, coming off a stunning reversal to University of the East, seeks to rebound against Far Eastern University today (Wednesday) in the UAAP Season 87 collegiate men’s basketball tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
All eyes will be on the Green Archers on how they will respond to last Sunday’s 71-75 setback to the Red Warriors in the 4:30 p.m. showdown with the Tamaraws.
Adamson University and National University hope to return to the win column at 6:30 p.m.
De La Salle’s defeat, the first in four games, has allowed University of the Philippines to seize the solo lead with a 4-0 record. All four victories by the Fighting Maroons were in double-digit fashions.
It’s going to be tough for FEU, especially with the Green Archers expecting to vent their ire on the Tamaraws.
The humbling setback to UE will serve as a wake-up call for De La Salle as it vies for a back-to-back title run for the first time since 1998-2001.
“We learn from those experiences. It’s gonna make us better,” said second year Green Archers head coach Topex Robinson.
“Blaming them is the worst thing we can do. Blaming each other, blaming the players—that’s not our approach. Life goes on for us. We have to focus on FEU on Wednesday, so you cannot cry over spilled milk anymore. It’s done and over with,” he added.
Still without a win in four games under new coach Sean Chambers, FEU is trying to avoid its second 0-5 start in the last three seasons.
The Falcons and the Bulldogs are seeking to bounce back from their tough losses last weekend.
Adamson bowed to Ateneo, 51-60, which ended the Katipunan-based squad’s three-game slide to open the season, the worst start in 11 years.
NU, which has lost two in a row, suffered a 64-67 defeat at the hands of University of Santo Tomas as life has been hard without Mali’s Mo Diassana, who suffered a season-ending knee injury on opening weekend.
The Falcons are tied with the Red Warriors in fourth place at 2-2, while the Bulldogs are level with the Blue Eagles in sixth spot at 1-3.
In the women’s division, unbeaten NU (4-0) braces for what vastly-improved Adamson (3-1) can offer in an interesting 1:30 p.m. duel, while FEU (1-3) and De La Salle (0-4) collide at 11:30 a.m.
