ARELLANO and San Sebastian seek a share of the early lead when they collide Friday even as defending champion Letran shoots for a second straight victory against St. Benilde in the 92nd NCAA basketball tournament at Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.
Perpetual Help and Jose Rizal U also gun for breakthrough triumphs at 4 p.m., the last game of a triple header.
But the spotlight will be on Arellano playmaker Jio Jalalon who is raring to again live up to huge expectations after a stellar season debut in their 83-78 dumping of the Altas Sunday.
“He’s the heart and soul of his team and we need him to play like an MVP,” said Arellano coach Jerry Codiñera of Jalalon who fired 25 points against the Altas.
Standing in the way of Jalalon and the Chiefs are the young and hungry Stags who are seeking back-to- back wins to start the season.
San Sebastian nipped St. Benilde, 54-49, also last Sunday.
Neutralizing the Chiefs’ high octane offense will be foremost on Stags rookie coach Egay Macaraya’s game plan.
“I want to instill in this team a winning attitude and we could achieve that by playing defense first,” said Macaraya.
The Knights go up against the Blazers at 2 p.m. with Letran skipper Rey Nambatac seeking an encore to his 33-point explosion against Emilio Aguinaldo.
The Knights barely survived the Generals, 76-72, last Tuesday and coach Jeff Napa warned his squad against complacency, especially against teams that have yet to make an impact this season.
“We can’t just underestimate any team,” said Napa.
The Altas welcome Nigerian center Bright Akhuetie back into the lineup after sitting out the loss to the Chiefs due to a knee problem.
The Bombers are determined to bounce back from an opening day defeat to the Mapua Cardinals.
Meanwhile, San Beda and Malayan Mapua scored their second straight victories to keep top spots in the juniors division.
The Cubs overcame the Lyceum Junior Pirates, 97-88, while the Red Robins whipped the CSB-La Salle Green Hills, 94-78.