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[av_heading heading=’Blue Eagles, Tamaraws clash for last UAAP finale seat today ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
By ADRIAN STEWART CO
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MANILA – The Ateneo Blue Eagles hopes to clinch the remaining finals seat in the UAAP Season 79 men’s seniors basketball tournament when it takes on the Far Eastern University Tamaraws today at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Game time is at 4 p.m. with the Blue Eagles needing only one win to advance to the championship round with its twice-to-beat advantage, while the Tamaraws will be hoping to force a do-or-die game on Nov. 30.
Despite having a win-once advantage and beating their opponents twice in the elimination round, the Blue Eagles still won’t take the Tamaraws lightly with the latter hoping to defend its crown.
“I think FEU is going to be a monster,” said Blue Eagles head coach Tab Baldwin. “Their players have experience and their coaching staff is experienced out there in these situations.”
“We are in a great position, but just let one game slip and it all goes down to one game,” he added. “We got to prepare like we have been preparing and we got to stay focused on FEU now and not think about anything else.”
Tamaraws head coach Nash Racela, for his part, is confident of their chances against the Blue Eagles as they aim to play the spoiler role in the anticipated De La Salle University Green Archers-Blue Eagles finale.
“We are confident heading into the match,” Racela said. “Ang problema ko is yung dream matchup (between La Salle and Ateneo). Everyone wants to see that pero iba ang gusto namin.”
“I know FEU wants to be in the Finals and I think we deserve to be there. We’ll try our best to deny that dream because I have a better dream,” he added. “I have a different dream. There’s a different matchup in my dreams.”
Waiting in the wings for the winner of the Blue Eagles-Tamaraws series is the top-seed Green Archers, which scored a grind out 69-64 win over the Adamson University Falcons in the other half of the UAAP semis./PN
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