Letran, San Beda reignite oldest collegiate basketball rivalry
LETRAN Knights Mark Denver Omega, Jimboy Estrada, and Titing Manalili, and San Beda Red Lions Nygel Gonzales, Bismarck Lina, and Zane Jalbuena during their first-round matchup in the NCAA Season 101 men’s basketball.
Photo by Angela Davocol for NCAA Philippines
The oldest collegiate rivalry takes center stage yet again in the NCAA men’s basketball finals after six years.
Six seasons later, San Beda and Letran open the curtains to the best-of-three Season 101 championship on Wednesday, 10 December at Araneta Coliseum.
The second game will be on 13 December, also at the same venue.
For San Beda head coach Yuri Escueta, the Mendiola-based team should be well-prepared and toughened up for facing the ‘tough’ Knights.
“We need to prepare, it won't be easy. Letran is a tough team, they have a good coaching staff and talented players,” he said.
Escueta also praised their archrivals, describing Letran as an “all-star team” and calling their rising point guard Jonathan Manalili “very talented.”
Rivalry renewed
Before reaching the finals, the Red Lions drew first blood in the elimination round with a 68-58 victory, before the Knights charged back with an 87-83 win in their second meeting.
Among the 17 championship encounters between the two, San Beda has the upper hand with 10, while Letran holds seven, which is also the latest by date, last in 2019.
San Beda also holds dominance over Letran in terms of NCAA basketball titles, as the Red Lions have 23, with the most recent in Season 99.
Meanwhile, Letran’s last title was in Season 98, which is also their 20th championship under their belt.