Maroons try to hurdle Archers in road to 1st round sweep

MANILA, Philippines – Alone at the summit, unbeaten University of the Philippines wants no let-up against chasing rivals as teams below scramble for handsome positions nearing the end of the UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball tournament first round Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

The Fighting Maroons swept their first five assignments and now have the La Salle Green Archers (3-2) as next target in the main game at 6 p.m., in which a win would catapult them closer to a sweep approaching the crucial second round.

At 10 a.m., struggling champion Ateneo (2-3) and winless University of Santo Tomas (0-5) lock horns, while National University (4-1) eyes to keep hold of the second spot against University of the East (2-3) at 12 p.m. A duel between Adamson (3-2) and Far Eastern University (1-4) follows at 2 p.m.

UP’s last game is against Ateneo in a finals rematch, but the Diliman-based squad has to take care of business first against another fierce foe in La Salle if it wishes to bolster a redemption bid after a bridesmaid finish in Season 85.

That should explain Goldwin Monteverde’s relentless hunger in spite of a perfect campaign so far, calling on his troops to brave on and trample every hurdle in the way while continuing to cover their bases for continuous growth.

“I think malayo pa kami,” said Monteverde even in the aftermath of UP's massive 110-79 win over Santo Tomas to post its best start since a 4-0 record in 1997.

“Maging consistent lang kami sa lahat ng ginagawa naming tama and i-lessen lang siguro yung hindi magandang habits. Against La Salle, we all know anong team meron sila this season. We prepare for every team we face.”

La Salle, despite a slight stumble at 3-2 marked by a tough 80-77 loss against now solo second-placer NU, vows to wage a strong resistance against the “top team in Philippine collegiate basketball now”.

“There’s no magic potion here but we just got to trust the process. We have to make sure we prepare these players to be against the top team in college right now. Again, we’re gonna leave it on the floor,” said coach Topex Robinson.

In women’s basketball, fellow league leader UP (5-0) shoots for another win against La