MANILA, Philippines — St. Benilde tries to gain ground on the Top 4 even as Letran and Emilio Aguinaldo College square off in a battle of struggling teams in the 90th NCAA baskeball tournament at Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.
Foiled by the San Beda Red Lions the last time out, the Blazers, at fifth spot with a 7-5 record, look to bounce back against a freefalling San Sebastian squad at 2 p.m.
Languishing at the bottom half of the standings, the Knights and Generals hope to start a turnaround as they collide at 4 p.m.
With a 3-8 record, the Generals have little room for error from now on as another loss could doom their Final Four hopes.
The Generals finished last season with a 10-8 record, but still missed out on the Final Four. A victory is also imperative for the Knights, who, at 4-7, face the prospect of missing the postseason, after reaching the finals in the last two years.
The Knights are actually shooting for a season sweep of the Generals, whom they defeated, 63-61, in the first round.
The Stags are in the midst of their longest losing streak as Topex Robinson’s team has yet to win in the last eight games, falling to ninth spot with a 3-9 record.
Making matters worst for the Stags is the fact that the league’s worst team, Mapua, has already beaten them twice this season.
And with 11 wins pegged as the magic number to reach the Final Four, it’s only a matter of time before the Stags formally bow out of contention.
But San Sebastian is also determined to put a dent on the Blazers’ postseason aspirations.
St. Benilde lost convincingly to San Beda, 54-78, last Saturday, which turned out to be only their second loss in the last nine games.
Interestingly, the Stags’ last win came at the expense of the Blazers, 74-72, last July 11.
Paolo Taha hopes to come out strong after he was held to just 12 points by the Red Lions, while Mark Romero and Jonathan Grey are also expected to step for the Blazers, who have already surpassed their win total from last season by two victories.
The Blazers will have to deal with the threat posed by CJ Perez, whose speed and athleticism make him one of the most explosive players in the league.
Perez is second in the league in scoring with 19.3 points per outing.