Just when University of the East seemed like a near lock for the UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Men’s Basketball Final Four, it stumbled at the worst possible time.
The Red Warriors have now dropped three of their last four games in the second round.
Their latest setback – a 59-51 upset by the FEU Tamaraws on Sunday at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion — has put their postseason hopes in serious jeopardy.
Now at 6-5 in the standings, good for third place, UE faces a critical match-up against the UST Growling Tigers this Saturday.
UST is directly below them in fourth place with a 5-6 record, making this game potentially decisive for UE’s playoff bid.
For UE head coach Jack Santiago, the pressure is on for his team to regroup before facing UST.
“Well, kami naman ever since, even though nag-finish kami ng 5-2 sa first round, we never thought of kailangan ganitong panalo lang, kailangan maka-seven (wins) lang kami – no,” said Santiago, who previously served as an assistant coach at De La Salle University from 2002 to 2011.
“As much as possible, we want to have as many wins as possible. But, of course, we just need to beat UST next game namin. Wala ng reason matalo kami because of the standings nga.”
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Now on a two-game losing streak, the Red Warriors have struggled with their offense.
In their recent games against Adamson University and FEU, UE converted only 37 of 133 field goal attempts.
Key Warriors like John Abate and Wello Lingolingo combined for a disappointing 5-of-20 shooting against the Tamaraws, contributing a total of only 12 points.
Santiago, a former Mapua Cardinal, is visibly frustrated by his team’s offensive struggles and feels there’s a key area they need to address.
“It boils down to execution eh. Kahit naman yung other teams, maybe they have 1-2 plays na makikita mong bago but ang bottom line, there is execution,” said Santiago.
“I really don’t know (what’s happening) with the team right now or I would say di ko alam kung na-pe-pressure ba sila because we want to get the seven wins because I think seven will be okay to reach the Final Four. Maybe kailangan dumaan kami sa pagsubok.”
After UST, UE will face Ateneo de Manila University and University of the Philippines to close out their elimination round.
The Red Warriors haven’t been this close to securing a Final Four spot since Season 72 when they reached the finals behind players like Paul Lee, Pari Llagas, and Elmer Espiritu.
With their backs against the wall but their fate still in their hands, Santiago urges the Red Warriors to step up and play with heart to finish the job.
“We need to play as a team – that’s the bottom line. We need to play as a team and we need heart, big heart,” he emphasized.
