UNIVERSITY of the Philippines will definitely zero in on putting the best-of-three championship series of the UAAP men’s basketball Finals even as fierce rival Ateneo tries to live another day and bring their title duel into a cardiac rubber match.

These are the possible scenarios for oddsmakers as the Fighting Maroons and Bue Eagles tangle at 6 p.m. in Game 2 today, Wednesday, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Everyone expects Game 2 to go down the wire.

And if UP stalwart Xavier Lucero, who opted to forego an opportunity to play professional basketball in Taiwan in favor of his Alma Mater, would only have his way, he greatly hopes to put the series away this Wednesday.

“I hope that we can put this away by a good margin, if we can avoid any heroics that’d be nice, said Lucero after powering UP to a series-opening 72-66 win over Ateneo last Sunday.

“But whether it’s close or not, we gotta be ready for that and we gotta be poised and calm in that challenge and be able to come out on top no matter what. We got a great opportunity so we have to seize that,” added Lucero, last season’s Finals MVP.

Six months after ending a 36-year championship drought, the Fighting Maroons hope to achieve an extraordinary feat — which may never happen again — of winning two titles in one year as they try to seal the Blue Eagles’ fate in Game 2.

Lucero buckled down to work after taking Game 1, knowing that it takes two wins to get the crown.

“It’s great, but obviously we got another one ahead of us. So as soon as that buzzer sounds off, we gotta move on, focus, and prepare for our next game,” said Lucero.

History is not on Ateneo’s side, as in all of its nine championships in the Final Four era, none came after losing Game 1 of the series. Coach Tab Baldwin is 0-2 in the Finals after losing the opener.

Also, the previous six Game 1 winner eventually went on to win the championship.

A victory by the Blue Eagles will send the series, just like in the second installment of “Battle of Katipunan”, to a deciding Game 3 on Monday also at the Big Dome.

The league will honor the individual awardees prior to Game 2, as UP slotman Malick Diouf will formally receive the season MVP honors.

Ateneo hopes to draw significant numbers from Dave Ildefonso, who was limited to 10 points on 3-of-12 shooting in Game 1, and Kai Ballungay, who went scoreless in 17 minutes.

The Blue Eagles are hoping to take care of the ball well against the tough Fighting Maroons defense, where they committed 15 turnovers in the opener.

The balanced offense will be the key for UP, as eight players scored at least five points or more in the Game 1 victory.