Falcons zero in on Final 4 vs Maroons

MANILA, Philippines - Adamson University and Far Eastern University seek to fortify their positions in the upper half of the standings as they take on separate rivals today in the 74th UAAP men’s basketball tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Falcons (7-3) collide with University of the Philippines (2-8) at 1 p.m., looking to maintain their grip on the No. 2 spot and inch closer into the Final Four.

The third-running Tamaraws (6-4) gun for their seventh win at 3 p.m. against a National University side (4-6) still entertaining dreams of making the playoffs.

Both Adamson and State U are aiming to get back on track after losses in their previous outings. The Falcons dropped a 61-62 heartbreaker to FEU, a setback that halted their four-game streak, while the Maroons have lost their last five matches.

For their part, the Tamaraws hope they can draw momentum from their huge triumph over the Falcons.

“The problem with our team is after a big win, we tend to relax in the next game. We really have to develop mental toughness and I need to constantly guide the players to sustain a good showing,” said FEU coach Bert Flores.

“And we can’t afford to relax against NU especially since they played well in their last game,” he added, referring to NU’s 65-43 plastering of UP last week.

The Bulldogs, ironically, have the same blow-hot, blow-cold predicament.

“We have to be consistent. We can’t be like a switch with an on/off knob. We have to come into the game expecting to compete every time because our young players somehow have this (resigned) mindset when they play stronger teams,” said NU coach Eric Altamirano.

“Hopefully we can overcome such mindset against FEU and make the real NU show up,” he added.

For the Bulldogs to keep their semis hopes alive, it is imperative for their 1-2 punch Bobby Ray Parks and Emmanuel Mbe to dish out solid games at the same time.

“If you’ve noticed, every time Ray and Sean (Mbe) play well, we win, and then we just have to hold our opponents to lower than 60 points and we’ll have better chances to win,” the NU mentor said.