San Beda bids for sweep

Bringing down mighty San Beda University will be the order of business when Mapua University marches to warpath in Season 95 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament Tuesday at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.

Action fires off at 2 p.m. with the Cardinals looking to tarnish the spotless card of the reigning champions.

Meanwhile, College of Saint Benilde seeks to get back on winning track when it battles Letran College at 12 noon while host Arellano University hunts its third win when it faces San Sebastian College at 4 p.m.

After crushing erstwhile leader Saint Benilde, 88-57, San Beda remains on top of the team standings with an 8-0 win-loss mark and a victory would allow it to sweep the first round of this prestigious collegiate tournament.

Mapua, meanwhile, is desperate for a victory as it remains in the bottom of the team standings with a 3-5 win-loss mark.

San Beda coach Boyet Fernandez said they needed to win as much as they can in order to grab one of the twice-to-beat incentives in the Final Four.

“For us, every time we win, it gives us leeway to the teams behind us. Our goal is to make it to the top two right away so we e could have a chance to grab the twice-to-beat advantage in the next round,” Fernandez said.

Fernandez said he expects his key players like Calvin Oftana, AC Soberano and James Canlas to be at their best as they face the dangerous Cardinals, who are looking to pull off a massive upset that would boost their morale entering the next round.

Against the Blazers, Oftana delivered a career-high 27 points while Soberano and Canlas had 14 and 11 markers, respectively.

“We are preparing hard for Mapua because they are getting their act together lately,” said Fernandez. “They are a very dangerous team at this point.”

On the other hand, the Cardinals will bank on Laurenz Victoria and Paolo Hernandez in a bid to capture their fourth consecutive win following a dismal 0-5 start.