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| Ateneo and La Salle will face off at the end of the first round. Gab Victorino (file photo) |
By Ivan Saldajeno
QUEZON CITY--Ateneo and La Salle will need to wait for a month from opening day before they face off as the UAAP released its men's basketball first round schedule on Monday night as approved by the league board during its meeting at UP Diliman.
Barring schedule adjustments, the Blue Eagles and the Green Archers will battle on first day of Matchday 7 Oct. 4 at 4 p.m. at the Mall of Asia Arena, closing out their respective first round campaigns.
Like the prior Ateneo-La Salle gamedays, tickets for the said game will be separate from the tickets sold for the curtain-raiser between UP and Adamson at 11 a.m.
Matchday 7 usually features the rematch of last year's finals, but NU and FEU will interestingly face off on a weekday as they will finish their own respective first round fixtures on Oct. 7, a Wednesday.
The final day of the first round will feature the finals rematch between the Bulldogs and the Tamaraws at 4 p.m., right after the 2 p.m. tiff between UE and UST. Both games will be played at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
On the other hand, Matchday 3 will be highlighted by the Final Four rematches as La Salle and FEU will collide on Sept. 13 at 4 p.m. at the Mall of Asia Arena, while Ateneo and NU will battle on Sept. 16 at 4 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
UST will face UP and UE will take on Adamson in the respective first games of the said playdates at 2 p.m.
Meanwhile, the UAAP board also approved Oct. 3 as the date of the cheerdance competition.
Unlike the previous editions which took place during mid-September, right after the end of the elimination round, this year's event will take place right before Matchday 7 or just before the middle of the season.
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