The NU Bulldogs in UAAP Season 88. UAAP Media
MANILA -- National University, already assured of a place in the Final 4, will try to secure at least a playoff for a twice-to-beat advantage when the UAAP Season 88 men's basketball tournament resumes on Wednesday.
The Bulldogs are up against Far Eastern University, with tip-off set at 4:30 p.m. at the Mall of Asia Arena.
At 9-2, the Bulldogs are at the top of the league standings. They are the first team to secure their spot in the semifinals, getting the job done after beating Adamson University in their previous assignment.
READ: NU escapes Adamson to clinch Final Four berth
Against the Soaring Falcons, NU leaned on Mark Parks—brother of two-time season MVP Ray Parks—who shone in crunch time to back up Jake Figueroa in their 66-65 victory last Saturday.
"Good thing, may mga like Mark na ready to step up. Although nung first two years niya, out of control, but he continued to find himself na talagang ano ba talaga yung role niya sa team. This year, hopefully, maging consistent pa siya sa ginagawa niya," said NU head coach Jeff Napa.
But the Bulldogs are bracing for a tough match-up against the Tamaraws, who are in seventh place with a 4-6 win-loss record.
Coach Sean Chambers is optimistic that his Tamaraws, led by Janrey Pasaol and rookie Kirby Mongcopa, can match up with the league leaders.
"I'm happy that we've been able to put ourselves in the conversation that we're still in the conversation at this time of the season," said Chambers. "We're still young. We still don't have seniors out here leading this team like other teams do. And so, I'm just happy that we're in the situation we're in."
Meanwhile, University of Santo Tomas will try to snap a four-game losing streak and get back into Final 4 contention when it faces University of the East at 2:00 p.m.
The Growling Tigers, who started the season 5-1, have not won since beating the Tamaraws, 92-80, on Oct. 15.
In the women's division, the unbeaten UST Growling Tigresses will take on a winless UE Lady Warriors squad at 12 noon.
Titleholder NU, running second behind UST at 10-1, faces an FEU team fighting to stay in Final Four contention at 7 p.m.
Wins by the Tigresses and Lady Bulldogs will bring them closer to securing twice-to-beat advantages in the traditional Final Four format.
Meanwhile, in the 16-and-under division, undefeated NU-Nazareth seeks its 12th straight win against FEU-Diliman (8-2) at 9:30 a.m., while UST (7-3) and UE (7-4) clash in a crucial game for top-four rankings at 7:30 a.m.