ALTHOUGH they are already assured of a twice-to-beat edge in the next round, Letran and San Beda are definitely not looking past their second round duel in the 89th NCAA basketball tournament today.
Running first and second in the standings respectively, the Knights and Lions rekindle their fierce rivalry in a match that could decide which gets top seeding in the semifinals at Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.
Lyceum and St. Benilde continue their second round meeting at 1 p.m.
The game, which has no bearing in the Final Four race, was halted at the 8:09 mark of the third quarter with the Pirates ahead, 32-31, due to leaks in the roof of the venue last Oct. 10.
In juniors action at 4 p.m., San Beda tries to move within a win of an elimination round sweep against Letran.
A win by the Knights will assure them of the No. 1 seed in the Final Four, but a San Beda win tonight and another victory against Arellano will allow the Lions to snatch the No. 1 ranking, which will set up a battle with the No. 4 team in the semifinals.
“We want the No. 1 seed,” said San Beda coach Boyet Fernandez. “We can only achieve our goal if we beat Letran.”
“It’s important that we beat San Beda before we play in the Final Four,” said coach Caloy Garcia.
The Knights prevailed in the first round, 74-67, with Raymund Almazan and Ford Ruaya delivering the telling blows for Letran, which lost to San Beda in the finals last year.
In its last outing, Letran proved too strong for San Sebastian, 75-68, last Oct. 12 and the Knights look like they’re peaking at the right time.
“What I’m after is consistency from the team as we head into the Final Four,” said Garcia, whose squad holds a 14-3 slate.
San Beda hasn’t been in action since losing 76-81 to Mapua last Oct. 7. The loss to the Cardinals is the first in the second round for the Lions, who tote a 13-3 record.
Interesting matchups abound in the duel between two of the league’s most successful teams.
Almazan, who is expected to go high in the first round of the PBA Draft, will be up against Nigerian big man Ola Adeogun.
Lions guard Baser Amer has a size advantage against the diminutive yet fleet footed Mark Cruz in a battle of the league’s top playmakers while San Beda skipper Rome dela Rosa and Kevin Racal of Letran are looking to boost their squad’s scoring sock.