DEFENDING champion San Beda and perennial rival Letran face
off today, with both teams eyeing the No. 1 seeding in the Final Four of the
83rd NCAA men’s basketball tournament at the Araneta Coliseum.
The game is the Red Lions’ (10-1) last for the eliminations,
and a win will automatically give them the No. 1 spot in the semis while giving
third-running JRU (7-4) a chance to steal second.
The Knights (8-2) have two games remaining. A win today will
earn them a twice-to-beat advantage in the semis and a sweep of their last two
assignments will force a playoff with San Beda for the top seeding. Letran and
JRU face off in the last elimination match.
"This is a very important game for us. Hindi na kami
magsasayang ng oras, we want to win this game to get that incentive na
napakaimportante sa next round," said Letran coach Louie Alas.
"We don’t want to go through the tedious process of a
playoff. We need to nail this one," added Alas, who will pin his hopes on Bryan
Faundo, Dino Daa and RJ Jazul.
The Lions beat the Knights 70-69 in their first encounter
last July 25. This time, key Lions player Yousif Aljamal will sit out the game
as part of an agreement between the NCAA and San Beda. Aljamal drew the ire of
the NCAA when he signed up for the PBA rookie draft without informing the
league.
