UST on pins and needles

All of the teams in the middle of the standings are just equalizing in the scenarios.

SOULEMANE Chabi Yo is tipped to lead UST to the Final Four.

The unpredictability of collegiate basketball is slowly taking its toll in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball tournament.

University of Santo Tomas (UST) head coach Aldin Ayo said it has been a rollercoaster ride for them as they suddenly found themselves in a must-win game against Adamson to keep their heads above water as the league enters the crucial stretch of the double-round eliminations.

After starting the season at second spot, the Growling Tigers are now tied with Far Eastern University at the third spot with a 7-6 win-loss mark behind Ateneo de Manila University and University of the Philippines (UP) withv 12-0 and 8-4 cards, respectively.

With the loss to De La Salle University, 79-80, last Wednesday, the Growling Tigers could get entangled in a four-way tie with the Fighting Maroons, Tamaraws and Green Archers at 8-6 that would make their entry to the Final Four more complicated.

And Ayo is aware of the tough challenge they are facing.

“Before the tournament, I said that this is going to be a very unpredictable season. And it’s happening right now,” said Ayo, one of the few coaches who won a title in the UAAP and the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

“That’s how it really works. That’s how basketball and the UAAP work. We can’t avoid that.”

Ayo said the most they can do at this point is to win their game against the Falcons and be ready for possible scenarios.

After all, his wards led by Soulemane Chabi Yo, Rhenz Abando, CJ Cansino, Renzo Subido and Mark Nonoy are playing their best basketball, giving them the confidence that they could still make it to the semifinals.

“All of the teams in the middle of the standings are just equalizing in the scenarios. It really depends on who wants to get the win and the remaining semifinal slots at stake.”