Pacesetters San Beda College and San Sebastian College tighten their grip on the leadership as they take on cellar-dwelling teams in the 88th NCAA men’s basketball tournament today at The Arena in San Juan.
The Red Lions battle Lyceum at 6 pm following the collision between the Golden Stags and Emilio Aguinaldo College in the 4 p.m. curtain-raiser.
Playing their third game in six days, San Beda is looking to jumpstart its second round campaign on the right foot to further improve its league-leading 7-2 slate and break away from a three-way tie with the Stags and idle Jose Rizal University.
The reigning champions are coming off an impressive 65-43 victory over Letran College — a morale-boosting win following a bitter 71-80 loss to the Stags.
“That was a good bounce back performance by the boys. They really worked hard to defend and earn this victory,” San Beda coach Ronnie Magsanoc said, adding that their miraculous season-opening win over Arellano University — where they were forced to play with only six players — was a big boost to their campaign as they discovered their true character in such a pressure-packed situation.
“We could have easily been 5-4 if not for that win. Now, our morale is high and we are among the league leaders.”
The Pirates, meanwhile, have to start winning if they want to make a run for the crown.
Tied with the Generals at 2-7, the Pirates are at the tail-end of the standings and a victory will not only put them back on track, but also avenge their 67-82 loss to the Red Lions in the first round.
San Sebastian, meanwhile, is expected to bank on pro-bound Calvin Abueva on both ends.
In their previous game against the Red Lions, Abueva, who is expected to be picked in the top 5 of the upcoming PBA draft, was a monster underneath, pulling down 21 rebounds along with 21 points for his ninth double-double performance of the tournament.
“It’s a testament of what he brings on the table,” Stags coach Topex Robinson said, hoping to generate more output from Ian Sangalang and Ronald Pascual. “More than Calvin again, it’s about the whole team. We don’t focus on any individual players especially now that there’s a lot of distractions from the draft.”