UE hopes to force 3-way tie at helm

The University of the East makes a final stand to secure the twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four, going up against La Salle today at the close of the elimination round in the 66th UAAP basketball tournament at the Araneta Coliseum.

Currently at third place with a 10-3 win-loss slate, the Warriors tackle the Archers (7-6) at 4 p.m. gunning for a win that would force a three-way tie at the helm with defending champion Ateneo and Far Eastern University, which closed out their elims campaign with identical 11-3 cards.

In this case, the Eagles will clinch the top spot for having the highest quotient among the three teams and will need to win only once over the Archers in the semis to earn a seat in the best-of-three final.

UE and FEU, for their part, collide on Sunday, also at the Big Dome, in a knockout duel where the winner will clinch the No. 2 spot and the twice-to-beat incentive over the losing team in their semifinal match.

Boyzie Zamar and the Warriors are also seeking to erase the stigma of their 65-84 defeat at the hands of the Archers in the first round.

"Siyempre gusto talaga naming makabawi," said Zamar. "Pero ang nasa isip talaga namin ay makuha ang twice-to-beat advantage dahil lamang ka na pag meron ka nun."

If the Archers prevail, Ateneo and Far Eastern will go to a playoff for the top position in the final.

Meanwhile, University of Santo Tomas (4-9) and University of the Philippines (3-10) clash at 2 p.m. in a non-bearing contest.