La Salle, UP begin title rematch

MANILA, Philippines — And they meet again.

Reigning champion De La Salle and host University of the Philippines take centerstage for collegiate basketball supremacy for the second straight year in UAAP men’s basketball today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Considered as the country’s best collegiate programs today, the Archers and the Maroons lived up to the hype by coasting through to the eliminations and making short work of their separate counterparts in the Final Four.

La Salle trounced Adamson, 70-55, while UP fended off Santo Tomas, 78-69 in the semis to maximize their win-once bonuses as the higher seeds and get to the finals.

And without hesitation, both squads march onto the battlefield at 5:30 p.m. for Game One of the short best-of-three duel with different objectives in their war chests – a title repeat for La Salle and a second title in four years for UP.

La Salle, after losing by 30 points in Game One, beat UP in the finals on a stellar comeback fashion last year, 2-1, and scored a 2-0 sweep in the elims this season to secure the No.1 seed with a 12-2 slate, thanks to presumptive MVP Kevin Quiambao’s leadership.

But for coach Topex Robinson, his wards are still the underdogs against the Maroons, in their fourth straight finals appearance, in a different arena following the graduation of their championship core led by Evan Nelle, Francis Escandor, Ben Phillips and Mark Nonoy.