By NIKOLE JAVIER
Defending champion University of the Philippines seeks to bounce back and return to the win column when it tussles with University of Santo Tomas in the second round of the UAAP Season 85 men’s basketball tournament on Wednesday, Nov. 23, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The Fighting Maroons (10-2), who are coming off an 82-80 defeat to the De La Salle Green Archers last Nov. 20, will try to regain the much-needed momentum heading to the playoffs against the struggling Growling Tigers (1-10) in the first offering of the quadruple-header at 11 a.m.
With a semifinal ticket already in its hands, UP is gunning for an extra cushion with the twice-to-beat advantage still up for grabs.
In the next play, La Salle will attempt to exact revenge on National University in their 1 p.m. encounter.
The Green Archers, who are coming off two straight huge morale-boosting wins, seek to hang on with their semis aspirations with a 5-6 win-loss tally.
The second-running team Bulldogs, on the other hand, are looking to extend their winning run to five games with a 9-3 record in the standings.
Meanwhile, Ateneo (8-3) will not be caught off guard when it faces the gritty University of the East (4-8) side in their 4:30 p.m. meeting.