MANILA, Philippines — Four powerhouse collegiate teams fight for the last two semifinal berths of the Filoil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup Wednesday.
Fresh from upsetting a champion, Far Eastern University tries to take down another titlist when it battles UAAP king La Salle in their knockout quarterfinal match at 2 p.m. at Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.
Four-time NCAA champion San Beda, which bowed to the Tamaraws last weekend, aims to rebound against dangerous National University in the other pairing at 4 p.m.
“The San Beda game was an important win because they are like La Salle—tall, fast, athletic and with a deep bench,” coach Nash Racela said after his Tamaraws scored an 89-79 upset of the Red Lions.
“Hopefully, we can play better this time.” Southwestern University, the Cebu-based squad that dispatched Jose Rizal University, 65-57, in Monday’s quarterfinals will take on the winner of the La Salle-FEU duel in the Final Four.
Centro Escolar University, another surprise semifinalist, routed Lyceum, 64-51, in the Last Eight and will battle the San Beda-NU survivor.
“Now that our games are all against the top teams in the tournament, we will get a chance to see where we stand and how we will fare come the NCAA season,” said San Beda coach Boyet Fernandez.
The Tamaraws, who completed a 6-0 sweep of Group B, will again turn to their reliables led by guard Mike Tolomia and the much-improved Mac Belo.
Tolomia fired 26 points, including a perfect 4-of-4 clip from three-point range, against the Red Lions. He also contributed 10 assists.
The Green Archers, who finished with a 4-2 record in Group A, will lean on the core of their champion squad led by Jeron Teng, Almond Vosotros, Jason Perkins and Arnold Van Opstal.
Fernandez, meanwhile, hopes some of his key cogs like Ola Adeogun, Baser Amer and Art dela Cruz will still have fresh legs after their stint in NLEX’s PBA D-League title romp.
“I know the players are feeling a bit tired,” said Fernandez.
The Lions finished behind the Tamaraws in Group B at 5-1, while the Bulldogs wound up with a similar record in Group C.