The postponed duel of De La Salle University and Ateneo de Manila University will now serve as the finale to an anticipated photo finish race with Final Four seats at stake in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball.
The UAAP on Thursday announced the new date of the much-awaited match between the archrivals set on Nov. 26 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum after its suspension on Nov. 9 due to super typhoon Uwan.
But aside from the long-time animosity in the Blue-Green basketball war, major Final Four complications could also be up for grabs for a fitting finale in the main game at 4:30 p.m.
Ateneo escaped La Salle in the first round, 81-74, holding on despite nearly losing an enormous 33-point lead, for then a 4-0 start before losing four of its last five games.
La Salle, with a late push after a 2-3 start, sits at third with a 6-4 slate while Ateneo is not far behind at fifth place with a 5-5 record, making it a make-or-break game if they remain within striking distance of each other by next week.
University of Santo Tomas is barely ahead of Ateneo at 6-5 for the coveted fourth place as National University (10-2) and titleholder University of the Philippines (8-3) pace the race for an inside track to the Top 2 laced by twice-to-beat incentives.
Still in contention behind are Adamson University (5-6) and Far Eastern University (FEU) (4-7) with the University of the East being the only eliminated squad so far.
And that also makes the other suspended game equally interesting, starring Santo Tomas and FEU at 1:30 p.m.
Other postponed matches that will retain scheduled game times are Ateneo-La Salle Zobel (U16) at 7:30 a.m., Santo Tomas-FEU Diliman (U16) at 9:30 a.m., Santo Tomas-FEU (women) at 11:30 a.m. and Ateneo-La Salle (women) at 7 p.m.
All tickets dated Nov. 9 will be honored by the UAAP and the Smart Araneta Coliseum for the new schedule while refunds are also available.
“Tickets purchased for the postponed Nov. 9 games will be honored on the new game date, and will remain valid for entry to the corresponding games indicated on the ticket. For those who wish to request a refund, please refer to the details,” said the UAAP. — John Bryan Ulanday