With all hands on deck, Blazers shoot for lead share

College of St. Benilde came out unblemished early in its elimination round schedule even with players going down with injuries.

The Blazers’ full potential can be seen Tuesday when they play with a healthy lineup for the first time in Season 95 of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament against Arellano at FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan.

Hard-nosed post defender Justin Gutang, who sat on the sidelines during their come-from-behind victory against San Sebastian, will suit up after recovering from a strained left knee.

Rugged forward Mark Sangco, Senagalese center Clement Leutcheu and Yankee Haruna will see action after bouts with injuries and illnesses.

The 4-0 Blazers, aiming to earn a share of the lead with defending champion San Beda, took advantage of the long break after the league canceled their last three games due to inclement weather.

Seeking to establish their finest start since 1998, the Blazers would have played against the Red Lions, Letran and Jose Rizal on those days.

They will have to face these teams in a murderous stretch starting Aug. 23 to cap their first-round campaign, but with a complete roster.

While the Blazers are set to cash in on a long respite, the Chiefs are hoping to check a two-game slide that saw them plummeting to the bottom of the standings in the company of Mapua and Emilio Aguinaldo at 1-5.

Both the Cardinals and Generals will go at each other’s throats prior to the CSB-Arellano skirmish at 2 p.m. in an effort to change their fortunes.

Made up mostly of former Mapua Robins from the junior ranks, the Cardinals finally got the monkey off their backs with a breakthrough win over the Chiefs last Saturday.

The Generals, on the other end, are raring to taste victory again since they caught the Lyceum Pirates flat-footed more than a month ago.