Expect an all out war between the two teams.
The Battle of Katipunan is set to unfold once more.
The defending champion Ateneo Blue Eagles will face the UP Fighting Maroons in the Final Four of the UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball tournament.
The two squads are no strangers to facing each other in high-stakes matches. But this time around, it will be Ateneo who will be looking for an upset.
The top-seeded Fighting Maroons will have a twice-to-beat advantage over the Blue Eagles.
As UP prepares both physically and mentally for the rivalry match, coach Tab Baldwin and the rest of the Blue Eagles also have a game plan of their own.
“To really put on the boxing gloves and the work boots and don't think we can be cute in this game. We've gotta take this game down into the trenches and we've gotta play this game from a heart and soul standpoint,” Baldwin told Noli Eala in One Ph's Power and Play on Saturday.
Ateneo is coming off an impressive rout of the Adamson Soaring Falcons to book the final seat in the Final Four.
That’s why Baldwin admitted that there’s less preparation for UP this time around compared to previous instances.
“I would like to be more tactical, I would like to be better prepared but the scenario just isn't that way this year, so we've gotta turn this thing into a dog fight and that's really their game,” said Baldwin.
Still, the Ateneo tactician is using their emphatic win over Adamson as a building block for what arguably will be their biggest match this season.
“I think that the Adamson game gave us a new sense of belief and maybe the spark of an identity, hopefully,” said Baldwin. “Building on that, we're not gonna go out there scared I can tell you that.”
“We also acknowledge what a fine program and a fine team UP is and we realize that it's a steep mountain to climb, but we're mountain climbers,” he added.
The UP-Ateneo match is set for 2 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
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Catch the game between UP and Ateneo this Saturday live at 2 p.m. on One Sports, the UAAP Varsity Channel, and the Pilipinas Live app.
(CF)