It’s a knockout game as far as we’re concerned. It’s imperative that we bring our best game in that kind of mindset.

BO Perasol and UP eye a return trip to the UAAP Finals. DAVID JOHN CUBANGBANG

University of the Philippines (UP) head coach Bo Perasol hopes his Fighting Maroons won’t dwell much on their twice-to-beat advantage when they face University of Santo Tomas (UST) today in the second phase of step-ladder semis of Season 82 University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

For finishing second in the double-round elimination, UP just needs one win over the Growling Tigers in their 4 p.m. encounter to book a finals rematch with defending champion Ateneo de Manila University.

Perasol is aware that UST swept them in the elims and the twice-to-beat incentive his team holds doesn’t mean anything.

“The team doesn’t dwell on the fact the we have a twice-to-beat advantage,” the 47-year old head coach said.

“It’s a knockout game as far as we’re concerned. It’s imperative that we bring our best game in that kind of mindset,” he added.

The Fighting Maroons enter the game with fresher legs as they have to wait at the sidelines and see who will emerge in the UST-Far Eastern University rubbermatch last Wednesday.

The Growling Tigers prevailed in that highly-physical encounter, 81-71, behind the superb performance of soon-to-be-named Most Valuable Player (MVP) Soulemane Chabi Yo, who finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds against the Tamaraws.

Brent Paraiso and Renz Subido also played huge for UST in the knockout game, hitting clutch baskets and ended up with 18 and 14 markers, respectively.

“We should not be thinking of what will come next. What we should think of is the task at hand and what’s in front of us at the moment,” said UST head coach Aldin Ayo, who is on his second year with the España-based team.

“Now, some of you will say that we are 2-0 against UP but they are a different team right now. What happened in the elimination won’t matter anymore because they are a different team and this is the Final Four,” he added.

Ayo said the Fighting Maroons remain the favorites in their duel as the Diliman dribblers will be bannered by dethroned MVP Bright Akhuetie and Season 82 Mythical Five member Kobe Paras.

Akhuetie is averaging 14.3 points and 11.6 rebounds while Paras is contributing 17.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks for UP, which is eyeing another finals seat.

Jun Manzo, Juan and Javi Gomez de Liano and Ricci Rivero are also expected to provide help for the team of Perasol, which finished 9-5 in the elimination.

UST beat UP twice in the elims, 85-69 in the first round and 84-78 in the next round, but Ayo knows those results do not matter anymore as they need to win again to force another do-or-die game.

The Blue Eagles, for sweeping the double-round elimination, are already through the best-of-three championship series which begins on 16 November also at the Big Dome.