LETRAN and Jose Rizal University dispute the No. 2 slot and
the second twice-to-beat incentive when they clash today in the 84th NCAA men’s
basketball tournament at the Astrodome.
The match is Game 1 of the virtual best-of-3 clash between
the Knights and the Heavy Bombers who will meet in the semis regardless of the
result of today’s game.
The match is set at 4 p.m. after the 2 o’clock battle between
San Sebastian College and Mapua for the last Final Four berth. The winner will
face defending champion San Beda College in the semis, with the Red Lions
holding a twice-to-beat advantage on the strength of their league-best 11-3
record in the eliminations.
The Stags hope to draw huge games from MVP contender Jason
Ballesteros, Jim Viray, Froilan Saquillo while the Cardinals will rely on the
leadership of pro-bound Kelvin Dela Pena.
The Knights routed the Cardinals 62-52 last Monday to clinch
a semis slot while the Bombers had to go through the wringer before escaping
with a 57-53 victory over the gritty Stags in the stepladder playoffs.
Letran has made it to the semis for the sixth straight year
but coach Louie Alas is wary of Jose Rizal, especially its big men–James Sena,
Jayson Nocom and Marvin Hayes.
"We consider those three a threat but we’ll see what we can
do to try and limit their big men," said the soft-spoken Alas.
Bombers coach Ariel Vanguardia said his team will concentrate
on defense, hoping his wards can contain Dino Daa, RJ Jazul and Kojack Melegrito,
among others.
"Letran is a tough team and we have to play smart and work harder on our
defense," Vanguardia said. (Christine Moncada)
