NCAA Final 4 on: Lions, Stags go for kill

IF THE elimination-round battles involving the protagonists are any indication of how the matchups in the NCAA Final Four will turn out, then the semifinals would need one more playdate.

Just don’t tell that to top seeds San Beda and San Sebastian.

Favored to advance because of their twice-to-beat advantage, the Red Lions and the Stags hope to finish off their respective Final Four foes today at Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

San Beda sees a difficult foe in Perpetual Help in the opening game at 4 p.m., before San Sebastian tangles with Letran—a team that swept the Stags in the elimination-round.

Victories by San Beda and San Sebastian will forge a Lions-Stags finals for the fourth straight season. The rubber matches, if necessary, are slated Monday.

The Lions and Altas split their season series with Perpetual Help pulling off an 88-87 overtime win in the first round, before San Beda exacted revenge with a 60-53 victory.

But while San Beda has the luxury of a five-day break before the Final Four, Perpetual Help will go into the game on a day’s rest as it needed to repulse Jose Rizal U, 73-68, in a playoff for the last semifinal berth.

The Altas are in unfamiliar ground as well since they have not been to the postseason since 2004. Except perhaps for coach Aric del Rosario, who has won titles in the UAAP, the Altas hardly tasted high-stakes playoff basketball until the JRU rubber match.

Still, San Beda rookie coach Ronnie Magsanoc expects a difficult time for his Lions, who finished the elimination round with a dominant 16-2 record.

“We are looking to match the intensity and aggressiveness of the Altas,” Magsanoc said. “We have to … impose our defensive mindset against their high-octane offense.”

Judging from their two earlier meetings, the Stags would certainly need their edge against the Knights.

The Knights opened the season with an 80-74 trouncing of the Stags, before repeating the feat with an 82-67 drubbing in their second-round meeting.

The matchup features two of the most explosive scorers in college basketball in San Sebastian’s Calvin Abueva and Letran’s Kevin Alas. Another interesting matchup features giants Ian Sangalang of San Sebastian and Raymond Almazan of Letran.

The Stags will miss Ronald Pascual, who is serving a one-game suspension for his disqualifying foul against San Beda. But San Sebastian has shown it can handle business without Pascual, beating the Lions behind Abueva and Dexter Maiquez.

Letran coach Louie Alas is confident his Knights can beat the Stags for a third time this season. “It will be a tough task but it’s doable,” said Alas.