Tamaraws not taking Archers for granted

MANILA, Philippines - Far Eastern University is safely in the Final Four of the UAAP Season 73 men’s basketball tourney with still four games left in its slate but the Tamaraws are far from being content.

The cagers from Morayta look to sustain their fiery form heading into the homestretch of the elims, their minds set on their primary target in the semis – the twice-to-beat prize for the top 2 teams.

“We want to finish on top or at No. 2 because it’s a big boost if you have that (twice-to-beat) advantage in the Final Four,” said FEU coach Glen Capacio, whose wards (9-1) lock horns at 4 p.m. today with a La Salle quintet (6-4) intent on advancing its own Final 4 drive while trying to rebound from a stinging 57-74 setback to rivals Ateneo.

“We haven’t achieved anything yet so we have to stay a lot sharper going into the last four games of eliminations and into the Final Four,” he added.

Against La Salle, Capacio said the Tams, who are welcoming Reil Cervantes back after a one-game suspension in their last game, must break the Archers’ dreaded pressure defense.

More than that, La Salle is aching to get its rhythm back and put more distance between itself and two squads making a run at the fourth and last semis slot – National U (4-6) and University of the East (4-7).

“It was a totally different La Salle team that played against Ateneo but rest assured, we’ll bounce back against FEU,” said DLSU mentor Dindo Pumaren. “FEU is the No. 1 team and they’re playing well but we’ll be ready and try to bring back our aggressiveness.”

In the 2 p.m. first game, University of Santo Tomas (3-7) and depleted University of the Philippines (0-11) seek to arrest their respective skids.

The Tigers are on a five-game slide. The winless Maroons enter the game without injured Mark Lopez (ACL) and Woody Co (foot injury) and possibly fever-stricken Mike Silungan, who’s doubtful for the second straight game, according to coach Boyet Fernandez. Alvin Padilla will be back after a one-game suspension for his post-game action in the Maroons’ controversial loss to the Bulldogs.