U.P., San Beda dispute finals spot

The 19th Filoil Ecooil Preseason Cup hits overdrive on Sunday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan as the last four teams standing jockey for the elusive spots in the championship series.

Three-time defending champion University of the Philippines (UP) enters as the heavy favorite against reigning National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) kingpins San Beda University in the 5 p.m. main event, following a wide-open showdown between Letran College and Jose Rizal University at 3 p.m.

All eyes remain fixed on the Fighting Maroons, whom many pundits consider the strongest squad of the bunch, especially with the high-octane trio of Veejay Pre, Rey Remogat and Jacob Bayla leading the charge.

However, UP head coach Goldwin Monteverde refuses to be blinded by the championship chatter, fully aware of the distinct threat the Red Lions bring to the court.

“We always expect a challenge,” Monteverde said ahead of the semifinals of the preseason league.

“It is entirely up to us to respond to those tests.”

San Beda head coach Yuri Escueta, meanwhile, is wholeheartedly embracing the underdog tag for the Mendiola squad.

“It’s going to be a tough game for us,” Escueta admitted. “But what’s important is for us to compete, no matter if it’s UP we’re up against.”

Adding an intriguing subplot to the heavyweight clash is the storyline of San Beda’s Aldous Torculas and UP’s James Payosing, both of whom are set to face off against their former alma maters.

On the other side of the bracket, Letran is riding a massive wave of momentum, anchoring a nine-game winning streak behind the stellar leadership of Titing Manalili and Jimboy Estrada to punch the Knights’ ticket to the Final Four.

Yet, Letran head coach Allen Ricardo remains highly cognizant of the fact that the only blemish on the Muralla squad’s record this tournament came at the hands of their Kalentong counterparts — an 80-70 shocker back on 18 May.

“We know how strong JRU is and we respect that,” Ricardo said.

“For us, our goal is simply to be ready every single game because this serves as our primary preparation heading into the NCAA.”

On the flip side, the Heavy Bombers are eager to prove their preseason run is the real deal, and repeating a victory over the Knights would solidify that claim long before the NCAA season officially tips off.

“Perhaps we were just fortunate, but it still comes down to the system,” JRU head coach Nani Epondulan said of his battle-tested roster led by Chris Hubilla, Jalen Garcia and Sean Salvador.

“The players placed their full trust in the system, and that is exactly what we will lean on.”