San Sebastian, Letran target share of NCAA lead

MANILA — San Sebastian and Letran seek to join early leader Lyceum on top when they face separate rivals today in the 87th NCAA men’s basketball tournament at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

The Stags, last year’s losing finalist, are the heavy picks against the St. Benilde Blazers in the 2 p.m. showdown.

The Knights, hoping to bounce back from a fifth-place finish last season, are also favored against the Perpetual Help Altas at 4 p.m.

The Stags, champions in 2009, launched their bid by beating Jose Rizal U, 73-67, last Saturday even without their suspended star forward Calvin Abueva.

The Stags and the Knights hope to catch up with the newcomer Pirates, whose stellar play coupled by a kind schedule has seen them zoom ahead of the field a week into the season.

Abueva’s return will make the task of beating the Stags doubly hard for the Blazers, who dropped a 63-75 decision to Lyceum in their season debut last Monday.

Center Ian Sangalang took up the cudgels in Abueva’s absence against the Bombers, finishing with 25 points.

With just two experienced big men on its roster, St. Benilde will be hard pressed to negate the Stags’ edge inside the paint.

The Knights will miss Kristoffer Alas, who was slapped with a one-game suspension for his role in a last-minute melee that marred their 76-65 win over Mapua last Saturday.

After absorbing a 30-point beating from San Beda, the Altas’ miseries continued with an 87-93 loss to the Pirates last Wednesday.