The Archers, however, are slightly favored over the Warriors in their 4 p.m. encounter owing to their five-game romp, including a 70-52 rout of University of the Philippiens last weekend that knocked the Maroons off the semis race. La Salle is in third with a 9-4 (win-loss) mark behind joint leaders Ateneo and Far Eastern U, which both tote 10-3 slates.
A La Salle victory will assure the Franz Pumaren-mentored Archers of a playoff match for the No. 2 spot versus the loser of the much-awaited duel pitting defending champion Far Eastern U and Ateneo on Saturday at the Araneta Coliseum.
The winner of that duel, on the other hand, clinches the top spot.
However, UE, which is already assured of a spot in the next round with a 8-5 card, is not a pushover.
In fact, the Warriors, with Dindo Pumaren at the helm, upended the Archers in their first round meeting, 82-79, with Nino Canaleta firing a career-high 25 points on an impressive 10-of-14 shooting.
A win by the Warriors will spoil the Archers’ bid for a twice-to-beat incentive with the two teams settling the Nos. 3 and 4 spots in the semis.
This scenario will also seal the twice-to-beat advantage for both the Tams and the Eagles no matter what happens in their match at the close of the double-round elims.
In a non-bearing contest, University of the Philippines and NU play for nothing but pride as they tangle at 2 p.m. The Maroons are out-of-it all with a 6-7 card while NU could only churn out a victory in 13 games.