Brothers Olsen and Nash Racela will meet on opposite sides of the court as Far Eastern University and Adamson University clash on Thursday in the UAAP Season 84 men's basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Tipoff is set at 7 p.m. as Olsen's Tamaraws spearheaded by RJ Abarrientos, Ljay Gonzales and Xyrus Torres take on the Jerom Lastimosa-led Adamson of Nash.
FEU has finally entered the win column, ending its three-game losing skid with an 88-74 win against winless University of the East last April 5 to improve its record to 2-3.
Olsen expressed excitement about competing against Nash and added that this would be a sweet treat for their supportive mother Mary Rose, who is expected to cheer for both of them.
The PBA great jested that his mom wore an FEU shirt against UE and said, either way, it spells a win-lose situation when the Tamaraws battle the Falcons.
"Well, very excited ," said the long-time FEU coach. "Before the season, minarkahan ko na 'yong Adamson schedule namin. But I'm sure my mom was extremely excited more than kaming dalawa ni Nash and nakabalik na 'yong fans, 'yong crowd so my mom could be there on Thursday as well."
Nash, for his part, said playing against his brother is "just another game" and bared that Adamson's approach will remain the same just like their previous matches in the hopes of arresting their three-game losing streak.
The Falcons dropped to a 1-4 slate after falling against the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons, 73-71, last Sunday.
"Nothing really special for me. I want to be consistent with my players because I always tell them to focus on the task at hand and not to think about anything else so the same way going to Thursday's (today) game 'yon lang din gusto kong gawin," added the one-time UAAP champion coach.
In other games, De La Salle and UP, which share an identical 4-1 slate, battle in the curtain-raiser at 10 a.m, while University of Santo Tomas (2-3) and National University (2-3) collide at 1 p.m. Reigning champion Ateneo (5-0), meanwhile, face winless UE (0-5) at 4 p.m.