INQUIRER Sports

DEFENDING CHAMPION SAN BEDA AND St. Benilde try to stay close behind the leaders when they collide today in the 85th NCAA men’s basketball tournament at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

Although both teams tote identical 2-1 marks, the Red Lions, with a deeper and more talented roster, are favored in the 2 p.m. game.

Mapua and Letran, both with 1-2 cards, clash in the second varsity match at 4 p.m.

San Beda coach Frankie Lim said underestimating St. Benilde is a recipe for disaster.

“We can’t take them lightly,” Lim said. “With the kind of team we have, we cannot play on a lower level and expect to win. We need to come out with our A-game all the time.”

After bowing to San Sebastian, 77-83, the Red Lions, who are seeking a fourth straight title, plastered the Arellano Chiefs, 102-74, last Monday as Garvo Lanete led five other Lions in double figures with 20 points.

Lim believes their running game, which they executed to near-perfection against Arellano and Mapua, will be a key factor against the Blazers, who are hoping to rebound from a 62-75 decision to the Stags.

That loss halted the Blazers’ two-win run.

With the departure of key players, the Cardinals and the Knights hardly look the teams that made the Final Four last season.

But Letran coach Louie Alas said the Cardinals cannot be easily dismissed even without former league MVP Kelvin dela Peña, Neil Pascual and Ian Mazo.

“They’re struggling but they’re still a tough team. We have to be focused against them,” said Alas, whose team snapped a two-game slide with a 73-67 win over Perpetual Help.

Mapua coach Chito Victolero also acknowledged Letran’s resiliency.

“Letran is always a team to watch out for because of its system and defensive intensity. It’s going to be a hard game for us,” said Victolero.

The Cardinals are fresh off the most one-sided win of the season—a 101-63 flogging of the Angeles University Foundation.