NU Bullpups eye finals vs Eaglets; UST seeks decider

Game Today (The Arena, San Juan City) 4 p.m. – NU vs UST (Stepladder semis, NU with twice-to-beat bonus)

National University looks to book quick passage to the finals while University of Santo Tomas hopes to sustain its late resurgence as they square off today in UAAP Season 80 juniors basketball at The Arena in San Juan City.

Tip off is at 4 p.m., with the secondranked Bullpups favored to reassert their mastery of the fourth-seeded Tiger Cubs who have been thriving with their backs against the wall.

UST, already down for the count, has survived its last three do-or-die matches, including an 81-80 overtime win over dethroned champion Far Eastern University over the weekend.

But the Tiger Cubs will need to do more if they want to neutralize the twice-to-beat advantage enjoyed by the Bullpups in the stepladder semifinals and force another knockout duel for the right to face the top-ranked Ateneo Blue Eaglets in the best-of-three finals.

NU, however, remains the odds-on favorite since the Bullpups handled the Tiger Cubs with ease in their previous two meetings and will be coming in with fresher legs following a nine-day respite.

Amid reports of his possible transfer to University of the East, NU coach Goldwyn Monteverde is keeping his focus on the task at hand.