SUDDENLY, the race for the Final Four in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament has become this topsy-turvy. Muddled somewhat.
This came about after Far Eastern University nipped La Salle on Sunday, 84-83, throwing the last two semifinal slots into a free-for-all — almost.
That’s because the loss tossed the Green Archers to a 6-5 (win-loss) hole — a precarious fourth place — that gave, most of all, Ateneo another ray of hope of gate-crashing the party.
At 5-6 (win-loss), the Blue Eagles aren’t to be counted out yet in the race to the next round even as both the University of the Philippines and National University seem to have a vise-like grip on the precious Top 2 berths.
And now this: With FEU’s upset of La Salle, the Tamaraws sweetly revived their flickering chances with their 5-7 card and, together with the Adamson Falcons, may yet contend for the super-delectable No. 4.
Adamson appeared ready to turn the tables on UP on Sunday even as the Falcons saw themselves down by 15 points in the early goings.
With renewed vigor, the Falcons rallied to within 56-58 with 4:11 left in the game.
But defensive lapses keyed a 5-0 run by UP that was embellished by Reyland Torres’ three at the 2:25 mark as the Fighting Maroons tabbed their 70-65 win running away.
UP, thus, virtually advanced to the Final Four for the seventh straight year to record the school’s longest semifinal streak from 2018 even as it grabbed a chance to dislodge National University from the top spot.
In securing their blistering fifth straight win, the Maroons are now 9-3, giving them a handsome opportunity to tie the Bulldogs by sweeping their last two elimination assignments.
But it wouldn’t be easy, though, as UP’s last two hurdles are against Ateneo and La Salle, two schools hell-bent on pocketing game-changing wins going into the homestretch of a wild-and-woolly finish of Season 88.
UST is also hot on advancing — and that might happen if it beats NU and FEU and then the Maroons suffer unlikely losses to both the Eagles and the Archers as the league frenetically races to conclude its eliminations.
As the cynics always love to say, bilog ang bola (the ball is round) and there’s no certainty in every ballgame.
As the cliché goes: “It’s not over until the fat lady sings.”
I miss Aretha Franklin (+).