Top seeds University of the Philippines and National University face separate foes on Wednesday, Oct. 25, to kick off the second round of the UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The Fighting Maroons clash with the Adamson Falcons (3-4) at 6 p.m. while the Bulldogs collide with the University of the East Warriors (2-5) at 1 p.m.
Toting identical 6-1 win-loss records, UP and NU are coming off contrasting fortunes.
The Maroons nursing a stinging 99-89 overtime defeat over bitter rival Ateneo last week while the Bulldogs are gunning for their fifth straight win.
Reigning MVP Malick Diouf, who trails behind Kevin Quiambao in the statistical individual race after the opening round, is expected to get it going for UP along with graduating CJ Cansino, rookie Francis Lopez and Harold Alarcon.
Meanwhile, Jerom Lastimosa is expected to see action in the upcoming round after nursing a knee injury he sustained prior to the season.
The Soaring Falcons sans the graduating star guard evidently struggled in the first round, but should put up a fight with Lastimosa in tow.
In other matches, defending champion Ateneo (4-3) eyes to improve its record following an up-and-down first-round campaign when it takes on Far Eastern University (2-5) at 4 p.m.
Interestingly, the Tamaraws staged a stunning overtime escape against the Blue Eagles in the opening round.
But the Blue Eagles are likely seeking a payback after a huge morale-boosting victory over the Fighting Maroons.
Rookie star Mason Amos anchored Ateneo following a double-double showing including the huge triples that helped them pull away from UP over the weekend.
In the first offering, La Salle (4-3) seeks a repeat over University of Santo Tomas (1-6) at 11:00 a.m.
The Quiambao-led Green Archers and the Growling Tigers are both coming off separate victories to end the first round.
For La Salle, Quiambao has been a consistent presence on both ends of the floor to propel himself to the top of the MVP race ahead of Diouf.
However, Cabañero, who just steered UST to its first win in 19 games, will be heading to the game equally spirited.
UST snapped their longest losing streak in its school history against FEU to finally barge into the win column this season.