MANILA, Philippines – The La Salle Green Archers and the UP Fighting Maroons are locked in the hottest new rivalry today in UAAP men’s basketball, with the best-of-three finals rematch series kicking off on Sunday, December 8, at the Araneta Coliseum.

Both tabbed as repeat finals contenders even before the start of Season 87, the two protagonists have proven they are indeed the unquestioned best to fight for the crown, finishing as the top two seeds before dismantling their respective Final Four assignments, Adamson and UST, in just one game each.

As good as both sides may be, neither are invincible, and both are coming into Sunday afternoon with massive chips on their shoulders and a lot to prove for their school communities.

Fourth time’s the charm

Interestingly, both La Salle and UP’s campaigns can be summarized around one number: four.

For the Archers, four marks the number of the times the program has undergone a title defense bid in UAAP men’s basketball since mid-2000s, the last three being Season 71 in 2008, Season 77 in 2014, and Season 80 in 2017.

Every single time, La Salle failed to defend its crown as it succumbed to a Nonoy Baclao-led Ateneo finals sweep in 2008, a Final Four conquest by Mac Belo and FEU in 2014, and another Ateneo finals coup in 2017, this time thanks to the likes of Thirdy Ravena and then-first time champion Tab Baldwin.

This year, the Archers are keen to make the most out of whatever time they have left with incoming back-to-back MVP winner Kevin Quiambao, who is reportedly on his way to the Korean Basketball League by season’s end, per sources.

They, however, have to once again conquer a title-hungry UP side currently carrying a heavy burden by appearing in its fourth straight men’s basketball finals.

Though four straight finals trips alone look great for most teams — that is four guaranteed silver-medal finishes after all — the Maroons are gunning for more than just guaranteed second places, especially since they are avoiding a dubious three-season streak of runner-up awards.

In this four title-round runs, UP also held the possibly unbreakable record of shortest championship reign in UAAP history, as its historic Season 84 championship was supplanted by Ateneo’s Season 85 resurgence just seven months later due to a pandemic schedule quirk that compressed two seasons in the 2022 calendar.

This Season 87, the Maroons are looking not only to avoid a 1-3 finals record in an ever-unpredictable UAAP title-winning window, but also savor a longer run of dominance in the coming year.

Four the future

The future can only bode well for either side should it break its “curse” at the conclusion of this year’s blockbuster finals rematch.

For La Salle, with or without Quiambao, it stands on the verge of a new UAAP dynasty should it win this year’s championship, as an army of stars await for Season 88 and beyond, namely Jacob Cortez, Kean Baclaan, and Quiambao’s fellow Gilas Pilipinas prospect Mason Amos.

UP likewise gazes towards a sustained peak of excellence, as it looks forward to a new era with star recruit Noy Remogat and the further development of possible holdovers like Harold Alarcon, Terrence Fortea, Gerry Abadiano, Mark Belmonte, Jacob Bayla, and Gani Stevens, among many other standouts.

Whatever the future holds for both sides, the first step starts on Sunday night. – Rappler.com