MANILA, Philippines – Hope is not lost on the UE Red Warriors as they seek to end a 15-year UAAP Final Four drought.
Head coach Jack Santiago remained optimistic even after UE missed out on an outright semifinal berth in the Season 87 men’s basketball tournament after a 77-67 loss to the UP Fighting Maroons on Wednesday, November 20.
Needing just one win to qualify for the Final Four for the first time since Season 72 in 2009, the Road Warriors ended up on the wrong end of a blazing performance by UP guard Harold Alarcon, who fired a career-high 33 points.
The loss marked the fifth straight for UE, which concluded the eliminations with a 6-8 record, as it failed to build on a promising start to the season that saw it conclude the first round with a 5-2 slate.
“Maybe in the Final Four, our players will recover. Because I still believe that we will be in the Final Four,” Santiago said in a mix of Filipino and English.
The Red Warriors’ Final Four fate hinges on the result of the elimination round finale between the Adamson Soaring Falcons (5-8) and Ateneo Blue Eagles (4-9) on Saturday, November 23, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre.
A loss by Adamson will catapult UE to the semifinals, while a win will pave the way for the Soaring Falcons to arrange a sudden death with Red Warriors for the last Final Four berth.
While Ateneo is no longer in contention, Santiago believes Blue Eagles head coach Tab Baldwin will have his charges ready.
“Knowing coach Tab, he will not give the game easily to Adamson,” said Santiago.
“Whether Ateneo beats Adamson or we will have a knockout game with Adamson, I can say that we will be in the Final Four.”
As UE goes back to the drawing board, Santiago stressed the importance of fine-tuning the Red Warriors’ defense.
In its six wins this season, UE held its opponents to just 59.2 points — a far cry from its average of 69.5 points allowed in its eight losses.
“There is no off-night in defense. It is a matter of wanting to play defense,” said Santiago. – Rappler.com
