TO be the man, you gotta beat the man.
That has been the mantra of College of St. Benilde right from the get-go in NCAA Season 100, more so now that the men’s basketball Final Four gets underway on Saturday at Cuneta Astrodome.
The second-seeded Blazers will have no less than reigning titlist San Beda for their semifinals matchup, a daunting task that is a welcome challenge nonetheless for coach Charles Tiu and the rest of the team.
“It’s going to be a tough matchup for us. But we really believe if we want to be champions, then we’ve got to go through them (San Beda) one way or another,” said Tiu.
“So we will see what our team is really made of, I guess.”
The Blazers were the consistent top team during the two-round eliminations, but fell short of a fine finish, as they lost two of their last three outings.
The losses came against Mapua, 75-73, on Clint Escamis' long, game-winning three and then opposite Lyceum, 82-81, in a hotly-contested outing.
The twin setback, coupled by the Cardinals’ 75-69 win over Arellano in the final playdate of the eliminations, relegated the green-and-white to No. 2 with a 14-4 slate, as Mapua clinched the top seed for the second straight season behind a 15-3 record.
“We want to win every game and that’s why we tried hard to end up at No. 1,” said Tiu.
Odds are in Blazers' favor
Still, Benilde has everything going for it in the semifinals.
They own a twice-to-beat advantage and likewise managed to complete a sweep of the Red Lions in their two head-to-head match-ups during the elims.
Getting another one, however, is easier said than done, especially against a program that has long set the standard in the NCAA.
“San Beda is a great team, great players, great coaches, some great friends out there, too. So it’s going to be a tough match-up for us,” noted Tiu.
The Blazers last made it to the finals in Season 98, but are still looking to end a 24-year title drought since winning their first and only championship in 2000.
No. 1 Mapua meets fourth-seeded host Lyceum in the other Final Four pairing, with the Cardinals also holding a twice-to-beat edge.
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