MANILA, Philippines—Far Eastern University (FEU) head coach Olsen Racela has no illusions heading into the UAAP Season 81 final 4, wherein his Tamaraws are matched up against defending champion Ateneo de Manila University.

FEU is one of only two teams to have beaten the Blue Eagles this year — Adamson being the other — but Racela is aware that the Tamaraws have an uphill climb if they hope to repeat that upset.

The semifinal game between No. 1 seed Ateneo and No. 4 FEU will be on Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum. Tipoff is at 3:30 p.m.

The Tamaraws only secured a final 4 spot last Wednesday, after a thrilling 71-70 triumph over La Salle in a playoff, after both teams finished the elimination round with an 8-6 win-loss record. FEU needed a game-winning three-pointer from Arvin Tolentino with 3.1 seconds left to pull off the win.

It was an emotional victory for the Tams, who had endured a roller-coaster ride just to get to the final 4. They briefly topped the league standings after the first round, then promptly slumped to a four-game losing skid that nearly took them out of the running.

Ateneo, meanwhile, zoomed to the top spot with a dominant campaign in the second round of the tournament. The Blue Eagles had been stunned in the first game of the season, losing to Adamson, then dropped another game to FEU. But they were untouchable in the second half of the year, winning all seven of their second round games.

The Blue Eagles wrapped up their campaign by crushing University of Santo Tomas, 102-62. They finished with a 12-2 record, claiming the top seed for the second year in a row.

• READ: Tolentino was not going to let FEU lose by his hands again

-- Elimination round history --

Injuries were a major factor in both elimination round meetings between Ateneo and FEU.

In the first round, the Blue Eagles lost starting point guard Matt Nieto to a finger injury in the first half. The Tamaraws went on to claim a slim 63-60 triumph, with Hubert Cani making the big shots down the stretch.

But the Blue Eagles earned their revenge in the second round. This time, it was FEU that suffered a blow, as Nigerian center Prince Orizu sustained a leg injury of his own in the first half of the game. Without Orizu, the Tamaraws had no answer for Ateneo's Angelo Kouame. The Ivorian center scored 33 points on 15-of-18 shooting and grabbed 27 rebounds in the Blue Eagles' 82-62 win.

This will actually be the fourth season in a row that Ateneo and FEU will meet in the semifinals.

In Season 78, Mac Belo scored a buzzer-beating lay-up to lift the third-seeded Tamaraws to the finals, where they eventually outlasted UST in three games to win the title. A year later, it was Ateneo's turn to break the Tamaraws' hearts, though the Blue Eagles ended up losing to La Salle in the championship round.

In the final 4 of Season 80, the Tamaraws pushed the Blue Eagles to the limit, dragging the eventual champions to a do-or-die game. But Isaac Go hit an instantly iconic three-pointer to send the game to overtime, and Ateneo hacked out the win en route to winning their first title in five years.

A year later, the Blue Eagles have stayed on track for back-to-back championships, but standing in their way is a familiar foe — the Tamaraws, who are determined to ride the momentum of their triumph over La Salle in the knockout game.

-- What they're saying --

Having beaten Ateneo once before can only give FEU confidence heading into their semifinals match-up, but Racela still warns that the Tamaraws have a lot of work to do.

"It just shows that we can compete against Ateneo, di ba? And I think that will bring us confidence," Racela said of their first round triumph.

"But again, the second round, Ateneo is a totally different team, the way they dominated the second round. So we'll see what happens."

The good news for FEU is that they are a complete team this time around, with Orizu already back from his injury. Players such as Arvin Tolentino, Barkley Ebona, and Jasper Parker are also brimming with confidence following strong performances in the playoff game against La Salle.

"I'm so happy for the FEU community. Ang dami talagang natuwa na umabot kami sa final 4. But of course, ang goal naman namin ay hindi lang final 4. That's just one phase of our goal. Next phase na kami," said Racela.

Ateneohad the luxury of a long break before the final 4. The Blue Eagles last played on November 14, and spent a week waiting for their semifinal opponent. They were far from idle, however.

"All the final 4 teams are strong and they’re gonna go through crucial games that will sharpen them all the more," said Ateneo assistant coach Sandy Arespacochaga.

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