Games today:

(Filol Ecooil Centre)

12 p.m. — Arellano vs EAC

2:30 p.m. — San Beda vs Mapua

Defending champion Mapua University and San Beda University pursue the top spot in their respective groups when they collide Friday in Season 101 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men’s basketball tournament.

Game time is at 2:30 p.m. with both the Red Lions and the Cardinals aiming for back-to-back wins.

Mapua is in second place in Group A with a 3-1 win-loss record and wants to share the top spot with University of Perpetual Help System Dalta, which has a 4-1 card.

Meanwhile, San Beda also sports a similar 3-1 slate and shares the same record as College of Saint Benilde in Group B.

But before the two heavyweights clash, Arellano University and Emilio Aguinaldo College face off at 12 p.m. to kickoff today’s double-header.

The Chiefs are coming off a convincing 92-65 victory over Lyceum of the Philippines University last Tuesday and are hoping to get their third win at the expense of the Pirates, who have yet to win after five games.

Still, the spotlight remains on San Beda and Mapua.

For Lions rookie Janti Miller, they need to stick with their defense if they want to win over the Cardinals.

San Beda dominated the shaded area with 53 rebounds while also scoring 48 points off the bench.

“We really take our defense seriously, so in our practice we focus on our defense,” said Miller, who dropped 22 points and nine rebounds in San Beda’s 81-64 victory over EAC.

“We came in practice, hungry to bounce back and this one was a good bounce back win for us.”