NC finalists both chasing history

MORE than the championship of the 88th NCAA basketball season, men’s basketball finalists San Beda and Letran are chasing history and the bragging rights as the school with the most titles in the country’s oldest league.

Tied with 16 titles apiece, the Lions and the Knights clash for all the marbles starting Thursday in Game 1 of their best-of-three series at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.

Interestingly, the two teams are meeting for only the third time in the finals with Letran and San Beda winning one each.

Letran’s last championship came in 2005 and since then the Knights have watched the Lions claw their way to tie their record.

The Lions swept the Knights in the 2007 finals—the second title of a terrific run over the past six years that saw them win six championships.

“Its our entire basketball tradition and community pride that’s at stake in this finals,” said Letran athletic director and NCAA management committee chair Fr. Vic Calvo at the PSA Forum yesterday.

“We foresee this series as very emotional; it will also be about bragging rights.”

“This series is going to be one for the books,” said San Beda team manager Jude Roque in the session presented by Pagcor and Shakey’s. “It’s more than just a game.”

While San Beda beat Letran twice in the eliminations, Roque feels it won’t count for anything in the finals.

“The two wins over Letran doesn’t matter anymore; they are a different team now,” said Roque.

The Knights climbed from as low as eighth spot in the first round, reaching the Final Four on the back of a seven-game winning run. Focused and motivated, the Knights ousted the San Sebastian Stags in two games, marking the first time in 10 years that a No. 3 seed pulled the rug from under the No. 2.

The two teams see the series going the distance.

“Of course you want to finish it in two games, but its going to be tough,” said Letran guard Mark Cruz.