Mercury rising

Our mentality really was to treat every game as a do-or-die one.

PAT Tchuente and Far Eastern University need a victory to keep their Final Four hopes alive. DAVID JOHN CUBANGBANG

Five schools who are in the hunt for the remaining three spots in the Final Four try to get a victory that will enhance their respective chances in the next stage of Season 82 University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball tournament today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

University of the Philippines (UP), currently at No. 2 with a 7-4 win-loss mark, takes on the eliminated National University (NU) at 10:30 a.m. to usher another explosive triple-header.

Adamson University, meanwhile, is carding a 4-7 win-loss slate and is still in the running for a semis berth but needs to sweep its last three games, including its 12:30 p.m. encounter with Far Eastern University (FEU).

University of Santo Tomas (UST) is in the third position with 7-5 and a win over De La Salle University (5-6) in their 4 p.m. match will put it in a good position for a Final Four slot.

The Growling Tigers are coming off an 88-76 win over the Bulldogs that put their one foot to the semis with team captain CJ Cansino finally breaking from a scoring slump with a season-high 15 points.

“Maybe I just executed how coach Aldin (Ayo) laid out our system and I just gave everything I have so that we can win games,” said Cansino, who also added five rebounds and three assists in their win.

Ayo is not concerned with their standing right now as he’s more focused on how his players will play as a solid unit.

“I am really not thinking about the standing. My mind is set on our next games. And since that the elimination games are nearing the end, I am expecting that our mistakes will also go down,” the 41-year old mentor said.

The Green Archers, the Growling Tigers will play Adamson.

La Salle is also in a must-win situation as a loss will put it on the brink of elimination.

The Green Archers need to sweep their last three games to have a strong chance of advancing to the next phase. And they need to repeat their 92-77 win over UST in the first round to get back on track.

After the Growling Tigers, La Salle has Adamson and UP in its schedule.

FEU is coming off an 81-60 trashing of the Green Archers last Saturday to claim the solo fourth spot with 6-6 mark.

Like the rest of the other teams fighting for a semis ticket, the Tamaraws are treating the remaining games as must-win.

“Our mentality really was to treat every game as a do-or-die one. We play possession by possession and not really thinking how good or bad we played in previous play,” FEU head coach Olsen Racela said.

FEU beat Adamson in their first-round meeting, 83-71.

The Fighting Maroons, on the other hand, enter the match against the Bulldogs with much confidence after pulling off a come-from-behind 81-77 win over the Soaring Falcons.

The wards of head coach Bo Perasol stormed back from a 12-point deficit in the fourth period to steal the game away.

And Perasol needs the same effort in the fourth period in order to repeat over the Bulldogs, whom they barely beat in the first round, 80-79.

Meanwhile, the league suspended Nick Abanto of University of the East for one game after it upgraded a non-call to unsportsmanlike foul on William Navarro of Ateneo de Manila University in their game last Sunday.

Abanto hit Navarro at the back of his head while positioning for a rebound at the early part of the game.

Game officials missed that incident and Navarro suffered concussion and never returned. The Blue Eagles won that match, 84-50.