ST. BENILDE and Arellano will look to be the first two squads to reach the Final Four as the first two pairings of the NCAA Season 101 quarterfinals are set to play out on Wednesday at the Playtime Filoil Center in San Juan.
The rematch of the NCAA Season 100 finals will come early in the quarterfinals as Group B second placers St. Benilde Blazers get two chances at taking out the defending champions Mapua Cardinals in the 2:30 PM game.
The Chiefs, on the other hand, look to return to the final four for the first time in nearly a decade as it tangles with the highly-touted Letran Knights in the 11 AM game. Arellano holds the twice-to-beat advantage in that clash.
Before the double-header on Wednesday, let’s take a look at how these teams stand against each other.
Arellano (A2, 7-6) vs. B3 Letran (B3, 8-5)
Previous meeting: Letran def. Arellano 83-65
It will be an interesting clash in the first quarterfinals game of the tournament as Letran, despite having a better record, and despite winning its initial clash against Arellano will go up in this game needing to win twice to advance to the semifinals of the tournament.
But such is the way things are played now as the Knights could only end up third in the so-called Group of Death while the Chiefs’ late run allowed them to steal the final twice-to-beat spot in Group A over Mapua.
Both teams are coming into the game with their confidence on a high with Arellano winning its last four games and Letran taking an 87-81 win over the archrival Letran.
Now-or-never for Letran
Despite finishing as third in Group B, the Knights remain one of the most dangerous teams in the NCAA, a team capable of making a run to the finals with their personnel and experience.
That’s why, perhaps, the pressure is higher on these Knights despite coming in as the lower seed against the Chiefs.
The Knights is certainly the deeper team as Titing Manalili banners a talented squad boasting of the likes of Jimboy Estrada, Kevin Santos, Deo Cuajao, Mark Omega and Jun Roque.
At times, Letran has looked like championship contenders. At times, it looked like a team still looking for its identity. For coach Allen Ricardo, the former must show up starting Wednesday.
Stifling Titing
Arellano’s initial order of business will be straightforward but definitely far from simple. Limit Titing Manalili and get a better shot at eliminating Letran.
Manalili has been the head-of-the-snake, so to speak. A chunk of Letran’s offense goes through the Cebuano guard, as he leads the Knights in scoring with 14 a game, while also leading the entire league in assists as he averages close to nine per game.
While it won’t be easy, the good news for Arellano is it has several capable bodies it could throw at Manalili, from the likes of Ernest Geronimo and Anthony Borromeo, or maybe even T-Mc Ongotan. Speaking of Ongotan..
The time is now for T-Mc
If T-Mc Ongotan wants to push himself to the consciousness of basketball fans all over the country, there’s no better time than now – facing a highly-touted Knights squad bannered by one of the biggest fan favorites in Manalili.
Ongotan has put up a statline worthy of MVP considerations, posting 16.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, two steals and nearly one block per game as the Chiefs’ top guy.
And those numbers aren’t empty stats either. From his 28 point game in their upset win over St. Benilde, his 22 point night against Group A leaders Perpetual, to his triple-double against Lyceum, it’s safe to say that Arellano will only go as far as to where T-Mc takes them.
And though Ongotan won’t be eligible for any awards after getting ejected, and subsequently suspended, he could reach new heights by leading the Chiefs to their first semifinals run since Jio Jalalon in 2016.
X-Factor: Jun Roque
A nagging shoulder has plagued Jun Roque for the majority of the NCAA Season 101 classification phase, but the 12th overall pick in the PBA Season 50 draft is slowly finding his rhythm for the Knights.
In the final run with their group, Roque has posted averages of 10.5 points on 56.2 percent shooting while still seeing limited minutes in coach Allen Ricardo’s rotation.
If Roque continues to find his touch in the quarterfinals, then that gives the Knights yet another weapon in the perimeter to join the likes of Manalili, Estrada and Cuajao.
St. Benilde (B2, 9-4) vs. Mapua (A3, 7-6)
Previous meeting: St. Benilde def. Mapua, 75-65
As fate would have it, the rematch between the two protagonists of the NCAA Season 100 finals will take place in the quarterfinals with Mapua not having any room for errors as St. Benilde holds the twice-to-beat advantage.
Inconsistent play has hounded the Cardinals all season long, and that lethargic play continued as they let the twice-to-beat advantage slip through their hands after losing to the Arellano Chiefs by four to close out their campaign.
Injuries, on the other hand, have been the Blazers’ problem all season long with Allen Liwag going in-and-out of their rotation while Tony Ynot missed the first few games of the tournament.
Still, the Blazers played true to their potential, putting them in a favorable position for this clash.
Will the Blazers break through the Cardinals in the playoffs?
While the Blazers will be holding a twice-to-beat advantage, playoff history has always favored the Cardinals.
Since the two teams’ reemergence in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, the Blazers haven’t won a playoff game against the Cardinals – this includes getting swept in the finals last year.
This is something that’s not lost on coach Charles Tiu, and that’s why he’s adamant on not taking these Cardinals lightly despite their season-long struggles.
The good news for Tiu is that he’ll be coming into the playoffs with a generally healthy squad, as Liwag finally returned in the final game of the classifications while key guys like Ynot, Justine Sanchez and Shawn Umali got some much needed rest before the playoffs.
WANTED: Clint Escamis
For one of the best guards in the collegiate level last season, Clint Escamis’ numbers for the Cardinals this year have been underwhelming to say the least.
Escamis is just averaging 10.6 points per game on 32.8 percent shooting from the field and an alarming 15 percent from downtown.
The veteran guard pinned his low numbers to him actively looking for his teammates, and all signs point to it as he’s averaging four assists per game while taking just 11 shots a night but based on the results, this isn’t the version of Escamis Mapua needs right now.
What Mapua needs, if it wants a shot at taking down St. Benilde, is the take-charge version of Escamisnsomeone who’s shown the ability to carry the team with his shot making and change the complexion of the game with his play on both ends.
X-Factor: EJ Sapasap
With most of the Cardinals’ offense coming from their backcourt of Escamis, Cy Cuenco and Cyril Gonzales, it’s imperative for rookie forward EJ Sapasap to get going.
Sapasap can get his numbers even without dominating the ball, with his ability to move without the rock, find open spots and crash the offensive boards invaluable for this Mapua side who’s struggled offensively all season long.
And if he can play above his average of 9.3 points per game, then it opens the floor more for the likes of Ecamis and Cuenco to do their thing on offense with the defenders not just zero-ing on their star backcourt.
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