I understand that there is the possibility of making a sweep. But whether we achieved it or not doesn’t matter.

ANGELO Koume and Ateneo shoot for a sweep of eliminations. DAVID JOHN CUBANGBANG

The Final Four cast may be complete, but the order of battle of Ateneo de Manila University is still far from over.

The Blue Eagles gun for a sweep of the double-round eliminations when they battle rival University of the Philippines (UP) in Season 82 University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball tournament today at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The mouthwatering battle, a rematch of last year’s finals showdown, is set at 4 p.m. following the 10:30 p.m. encounter between also-ran squads University of the East and National University and 12:30 p.m. collision between De La Salle University and Adamson University.

Arguably the best collegiate team in the country right now, the Blue Eagles wasted no time in making their presence felt.

They sliced through the elimination round like a hot knife through butter as they won all of their 13 games in the elimination round, sparking talks that they are physically, mentally and emotionally prepared to make another serious run for the crown.

A win by the Blue Eagles would not just complete another dream performance in the eliminations — it would also give them an outright slot in the best-of-three finals, leaving the three other Final Four bidders in UP, Far Eastern University (FEU) and University of Santo Tomas (UST) jockeying for positions in the stepladder phase.

Based on the stepladder format, the third and fourth seeds will clash in a sudden-death battle with the survivor booking a duel with the second seed, which is armed with a twice-to-beat advantage.

The winner will then face Ateneo in a best-of-three finals duel.

This would definitely make their job in the finals a lot easier for the Blue Eagles but for head coach Tab Baldwin, the incentive is just a mere icing on the cake.

“I understand that there is the possibility of making a sweep. But whether we achieved it or not doesn’t matter. It is just a very minor issue. The major issue for us at this point is how to get rid of UP,” said Baldwin, the noted Kiwi-American mentor who led New Zealand to a serious run in the FIBA World Championships in 2002.

“There’s nothing else that enters into the equation for us. All the other talk is for you and the fans.”

Tempers flew the last time Ateneo and UP met.

UP head coach Bo Perasol, who coached Ateneo for three seasons, was tossed out in the 6:23 mark of the third canto after storming into the court to attack a referee.

His absence created a gaping hole in the morale of the Fighting Maroons, leading to a 63-89 setback in the final playing day of the first round of eliminations.

Initially, Perasol was slapped with a five-game suspension, effectively reducing him into a curious observer in almost half of the second round.

But Perasol made an appeal and issued an apology, prompting UAAP commissioner Jansen Ilagan to reduce his ban to two games.

And now that he’s back, expect the Fighting Maroons to bounce back stronger, more aggressive than their previous encounter.

“We’re actually not thinking of spoiling any sweep,” said Perasol, brushing off the question that they are out to pull the rug from under the rampaging Blue Eagles.

“Our priority right now is to improve our game. We have to find a way to address our tendency of relaxing and giving up the lead.”

Perasol said the real battle is not the eliminations.

“We may be No. 2 at this point, but our final grade will be handed come the Final Four,” said Perasol, who led the Fighting Maroons to their first twice-to-beat advantage in school history.

“That’s why we have to work hard in the playoffs because that’s the time they will judge our performance.”