Games today:

(Smart Araneta Coliseum)

3:30 p.m. — UP vs UST

6:30 p.m. — La Salle vs Adamson

A second serving of last year’s epic title showdown looms.

However, two gatecrashers look to flip the script as the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 men’s basketball tournament Final Four action explodes today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Top seed defending champion De La Salle University and No. 2-ranked University of the Philippines enjoy twice-to-beat advantages against their respective opponents in the penultimate round of the unpredictable season that saw many twists and turns.

First to try a quick way to the best-of-three championship series are the Fighting Maroons as they square off against University of Santo Tomas at 3:30 p.m.

Colliding in the main-game at 6:30 p.m. are the Green Archers and the last team to complete the semis cast using the backdoor No. 4 seed Adamson University.

Both UP and La Salle are favored to hurdle their respective rivals which they swept in the elimination round.

Kevin Quiambao, who is set to receive a second straight Most Valuable Player award, and Mike Phillips-led Green Archers are expected to replicate their domination of the Falcons, who they defeated through an average 27.5-point winning margin in their elims head-to-head.

La Salle will not only come into the game with the semis bonus and huge psychological advantage but also fueled by a burning desire to rebound from an end of elims, 54-63, upset loss to National University.

“Well, there’s a lesson in this loss. Good thing we lost now. At least it kind of got us grounded. And at least you know what works and what doesn’t,” head coach Topex Robinson said after the Green Archers’ nine-game winning streak got snapped to finish with a 12-2 record.

Now facing a team that La Salle easily dismantled in their previous meetings, Robinson doesn’t want his players to get too complacent.

“It’s really nice to, you know, be part of the team that is number one, but at this point, there’s no more into that. It only got you to the Final Four, you know, but it hasn’t gotten you to the finals and eventually winning a championship,” he said.

“There’s still a lot of work to be done. We want to set our team to a high standard and then make sure that the things that we need to work on will be addressed.”

The Falcons returned to the semis after eliminating University of the East, 68-55, in a playoff for the last semis ticket on Wednesday.

Beating La Salle is a tall order for Adamson but head coach Nash Racela is unfazed.

“Well, the good thing about it is we don’t have to bring it to the Final Four. We’ll just leave it at that,” Racela said of his team’s 30 and 25-point blowout losses to the Green Archers.

“For us, the next game will be different. So, hopefully, we’ll give them a challenge and hopefully beat them. We’ll give ourselves a chance. I know these players they’ll be ready to do their part,” added Racela, who will bank on veterans Cedrick Manzano, Joshua Yerro, Royce Mantua and Matt Montebon.

UP also had UST’s numbers in the season after beating the Growling Tigers twice in the elims with an average margin of 10.5 points.

The Fighting Maroons ended the elims with back-to-back wins to build momentum.

“In terms of results, sure, at 2-0. But both games were closer than the final score,” UP assistant coach Christian Luanzon said.

“You know, UST is… with the experience, with Forthsky (Padrigao) at the point, also with (Mo) Tounkara and his abilities on both ends. You have (Nic) Cabañero, and in their last game, they found sort of like a magic bunot, as (UST) Coach Pido (Jarencio) would say, in Amiel Acido. We’re gonna have to prepare for all of them. It’s gonna be a good series.”

The Fighting Maroons have a deep arsenal led by Harold Alarcon, who had 33 points in a win over UE to end the elims, JD Cagulangan, Season 86 Rookie of the Year Francis Lopez, bigman Quentin Millora-Brown and Terrence Fortea.

UST is back in the Final Four after five years.

Interestingly, the Tigers’ previous semis appearance in 2019 was also against the Fighting Maroons whom they beat twice to advance to the finals before eventually bowing to Ateneo.

“They have the twice-to-beat. But who knows, the ball is round. May tsamba,” Jarencio said.

The Final Four do-or-die, if necessary, is on Wednesday.