Title race intensifies

Games today:

(Smart Araneta Coliseum)

11 a.m. — Perpetual vs Letran

2:30 p.m. — San Beda vs Saint Benilde

With reigning champion Mapua University already dethroned, the race to the title becomes wide open as College of Saint Benilde, San Beda University, University of Perpetual Help System Dalta and Letran College march into the best-of-three Final Four series of Season 101 National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Blazers, who were responsible for slaying the mighty Cardinals, will be facing another giant in the Red Lions at 2:30 p.m. following the 11 a.m. encounter between the Altas and the Knights, who are both determined to draw the first blood in the new semifinal format of the country’s oldest collegiate league.

So far, the Blazers have the Red Lions’ number in the playoffs.

In fact, they knocked out the Red Lions in the Final Four in Season 98 with a thrilling 62-61 win before reasserting their mastery anew in Season 100 with 79-63 win.

But this year is different. With the Final Four turning into a best-of-three series, Saint Benilde coach Charles Tiu stressed that they can’t afford to be complacent as the hungry Red Lions are capable of mounting a comeback and completely tilt the momentum of the series to their favor.

“This year, San Beda seems like the best team from the start so it’s only fitting that we go through them to make it to the finals or win the championship,” said Tiu, who publicly questioned the courage of his wards that resulted to a masterful 74-72 win over Mapua last Friday.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s the finals or earlier — they’re the team we have to face. It just came earlier than we would have wanted.”

He added that facing San Beda — and its impressive cast of coaches — will be a great challenge.

“It’s a series, though. We’re going up against great coaches like my good friend Yuri Escueta, Norman Black, Coach Boyet Fernandez and even Coach Andre (Santos),” added Tiu, whose wards rank third in offense with an average of 76.33 points while giving up 72.93 points on defense.

Escueta, who led the Lions to a title in Season 99, said they are bracing for another tough fight with the Blazers as the path to their 24th championship will be no easy feat.

Should San Beda overcome Saint Benilde, it will have to deal with either bitter rival Letran or a rejuvenated Perpetual side in the best-of-three finals showdown.

“Just like how we prepared when you guys said that our bracket was the ‘Group of Death,’ now in the Final Four, we’re in ‘Bracket of Death’ right?” said Escueta, who is also an assistant coach for TNT in the Philippine Basketball Association.

“We have no choice. Whoever we face, we have to prepare and you know, take it one step at a time.”

The Lions, who eliminated Lyceum of the Philippines University, 91-67, in the quarterfinals last week, are the second-best team in offense, scoring an average of 74.18 points and allowing only 70.07 points.

Meanwhile, the series between the Altas and Knights is also expected to be very interesting. After missing the Final Four last year, both squads will collide on a level playing field, this time, in the semis.

Perpetual, which clinched the first seed in Group A with a 9-4 win-loss record and armed with a twice-to-beat advantage, defeated Jose Rizal University, 81-74, in the quarterfinals last Thursday.

Yet Altas mentor Olsen Racela said getting into the semifinals is just a stepping stone for them as they now aim for a slot in the finals.

“We’re just happy to be in the Final Four. That’s our first goal,” said Racela, whose suffocating defense allows the Altas to give up only an average of 66.64 points entering the semifinals.

“All of our short-term goals happened and then we have a long-term goal. At least we got one of them and now we are looking at making the finals.”

Sophomore guard Mark Gojo Cruz will be the Altas’ main man after averaging 13.64 points as well as Patrick Sleat, who averages 10.5 points per outing.

Letran mentor Allen Ricardo said they have to stop Gojo Cruz and Sleat if they want to go far.