USJ-R JAGUARS EYE NO. 1 SPOT IN SEMIS
USJ-R Jaguars hope to finish at no. 1 and gain twice-to-beat edge in semifinals
The University of San Jose-Recoletos will gun for a spot in the top two when it takes on the Cebu Institute of Technology-Univeristy (CIT-U) Wildcats in the main game of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. college basketball tournament tonight.
The Jaguars are currently third in the standing with an 8-3 record, trailing the University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers and the University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters, who both have a 9-3 record.
The top two teams after the elimination round—which ends today—will enjoy a twice-to-beat edge in the semifinals.
If the Jaguars win against the Wildcats, it will create a three-way tie at no. 1 along with the Green Lacners and the Webmasters. If that happens, organizers will use a qoutient system to break the tie and it looks like the Webmasters, which won their first eight games, are at a disadvantage.
“In our own computation, we are going to be the automatic no. 1 if we win against CIT-U,” said USJ-R coach Leodie Garcia.
The Jaguars have the edge in finishing as no. 1 since they already beat the Wildcats handily, 90-69, during their first-round encounter and the last-ranked team is already out of contention.
However, Garcia is cautioning his players.
“I’m reminding the players not to take it easy because we might end up like UC,” said Garcia.
The coach was referring to CITU’s unexpected 81-75 win over UC that ended the Webmasters’ string of eight victories last Sept. 29.
Meanwhile in the first game, the University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors will try to bag a seat in the semis against the Southwestern University (SWU) Cobras. If USC wins, it will also finish with a tie with the University of Southern Philippines Foundation, which has a 5-7 record. However, the Warriors have the edge in points difference. The Cobras are out of contention at 2-9. /