Red Lions eye No. 17; Stags try to ice semis cast

San Beda tries to dispatch the first of two remaining obstacles to an elimination round sweep on Thursday when the razor-sharp Red Lions battle revitalized St. Benilde in Season 95 of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament at Filoil Flying V Centre.

And coach Boyet Fernandez is experienced enough—and definitely wise enough—to keep his players focused on the task at hand.

“I don’t want to look that far ahead. It would be better if we deal what’s in front of us first,” said Fernandez, whose Lions wrap up the eliminations with their finals arch nemesis Lyceum on Tuesday.

Game time is 2 p.m. with the Blazers coming into the contest fresh from snapping a six-game losing streak.

An elimination-round sweep would mean automatic entry into the best-of-three title series, leaving the next three best teams to fight it out for the last berth.

As things stand, the Pirates have a lock on No. 2, and that is vital since finishing second would mean playing a fatigued foe in the semifinals as Nos. 3 and 4 will slug it out in a KO match.

Equally crucial is the San Sebastian-Mapua duel at 4 p.m., with the Stags looking for a win that could mean No. 4 ranking—and last semifinal seat.