LETRAN coach Allen Ricardo knows an opportunity when he sees one.
Though the Knights finished third in Group B and will come into the NCAA Season 101 quarterfinals with a win-twice disadvantage, Ricardo believes the breaks totally went their way with how the pairings went after 13 games into the tournament’s classification phase.
With Arellano bumping Mapua out of the second spot in Group A, the Knights will now be battling the Chiefs instead of the proven and tested Cardinals in the quarterfinals.
He’s not putting it in a way that the Chiefs are an easy team to beat, he’s just acknowledging how tough it is to beat a defending champion twice-in-a-row in the playoffs.
READ: In-form Letran forces KO match vs. Arellano with dominant QFs win
Not one to waste an opportunity, Ricardo’s Knights moved one-win away from the semifinals after the methodical 87-78 win over the Chiefs on Wednesday.
“Hindi na namin sasayangin yung opportunity na’to kasi alam niyo naman, supposedly Mapua ang kalaban namin,” Ricardo said.
“I know how strong Mapua is, kahit hindi twice-to-beat ang Mapua mabigat talaga yun e, kasi champion team yun. Pagka-magbeast mode yun, [mahirap na].”
Not only did the Knights avoid the enviable task of winning consecutive games against the Cardinals, as inconsistent as they may have been, placing third also keeps them away from the league’s perennial powerhouses San Beda and St. Benilde.
The Red Lions will take on the Lyceum Pirates, while the Cardinals and the Blazers tangle in the other bracket.
Letran, should it beat Arellano again this Friday, will wait for the winner between Perpetual and Jose Rizal University – two very good teams, but certainly still far off from the three teams on the other end of the bracket.
So long, group mates
“Sila na ngayon ang nasa ‘Group of Death,’” Ricardo said in jest, noting how he’s finally gotten out of that stacked Group B in the classification where they finished behind San Beda and St. Benilde.
“Kidding aside, siguro ito din yung binigay ni Lord e. The number one goal is to have twice to beat, pero eventually hindi namin nakuha yun.”
He also believes that he has a team that’s peaking at the right moment, a team who’s only starting to reach their full potential – just in time for the playoffs.
“Just in time. Hindi sobrang aga, hindi rin sobrang late. Sakto lang,” Ricardo said.
“Ambigat din kasi, minsan may mga teams na maaga nagppeak or gitna, medyo nauumay narin sila. So I guess, saktong sakto lang especially from the San Beda game. I believe in that and alam din yun ng mga bata.”
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