Consistency is key to NCAA

The NCAA basketball twin bill last Wednesday did not feature the leaders of the tournament but rather a pair of critical games for three teams groping for form and consistency.

The NC never lacks hoop thrills even if the UAAP seems to grab most of the spotlight nowadays. Its colorful history has produced many great rivalries, championship runs and talented players. I don’t readily agree that the departure of La Salle and Ateneo has caused the popularity shift. So many other factors should be considered, among them not having a regular TV coverage that may have disconnected the league from its core audiences before ABS-CBN picked it up over the last decade.

Also, the NC schools are mostly colleges and don’t have the same large population as the UAAP universities. Most of the UA schools have increased their enrollment over the years, offering varied academic options and facilities for more students.

Despite having only a handful of brave souls at the San Juan Arena who bucked the rains of Typhoon Juaning and took advantage of the school holiday, the games provided a lot to relish. The College of St. Benilde Blazers entered the battle against Letran with only one win in four outings. Through sheer spunk and fiery shooting from Carlo Lastimosa and Jonathan Grey, the Blazers managed to steal the lead from the favored Knights before the first half ended.

In a physical battle with tons of fouls being called, Letran emerged victorious, 112-91, by controlling the boards and hitting the shots that mattered. The Knights came out at solo third in the standings with a 4-1 card and stayed within breathing distance of leaders San Sebastian (5-0) and San Beda (4-0).

In the second game, the Mapua Cardinals, needing a win to snap an 0-4 start, faced Emilio Aguinaldo College. The Generals have had a decent start, winning two of their first three outings. However, one of the most unpredictable opponents is a team that hasn’t won yet and hungry to turn its season around.

The Cardinals have a storied basketball tradition that has seen the likes of Carlos Badion, Atoy Co, Freddie Hubalde, Joel Banal, Leo Isaac, Bong Ramos, Junel Baculi, Alvin Patrimonio, Kevin Ramas and others wear the Mapua uniform. There are just some familiar college powerhouses like Mapua that we sometimes find difficult to believe are struggling in a season.

Mapua coach Chito Victolero, who also starred for the Cardinals, got his team shooting on target and erected a lead of as many as 23 points. The Generals launched a torrid chase in the third to cut down the lead to 12 points. But Mapua was not to be denied its first win as it survived the uprising and won handily, 80-63.

With ten teams in a double round robin format, consistency will be the most vital ingredient for those hoping to make the semis cut. There’s still a long way to go and most likely, the third and fourth places will be the hotly contested tickets to the next round.