Games today:
(Filoil EcoOil Centre)
2 p.m. Perpetual vs Arellano
4 p.m. Saint Benilde vs JRU
Both College of Saint Benilde and host Jose Rizal University aim to boost their respective Final Four bids when they clash today in Season 99 National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament at the Filoil EcoOil Centre today.
The last time both teams met, the Blazers torched the Bombers in overtime, 93-85, in their first-round game last 29 September.
Before that mouth-watering matchup, University of Perpetual Help System Dalta and Arellano University at 2 p.m.
The Altas, who currently sit at seventh place with a 5-7 record, will also have a chance to formally eliminate the Chiefs, who have a 2-10 record, in the NCAA.
But all eyes will be on Saint Benilde and JRU for this Tuesday double-header.
As if improving their Final Four slots aren’t enough, this game will be held almost a year after former Bomber John Amores ran amok and charged the entire Blazers bench.
That event forced the NCAA management committee to slap Amores with an indefinite ban with JRU dropping him entirely from the squad.
While everything mellowed out after that incident, both sides expect nothing less than a scrappy game for a chance to get higher in the standings.
For Saint Benilde head coach Charles Tiu, they will have to stay composed and not let the Bombers’ hard-nosed defense get the best of them.
“I think it’s a big game for us. For sure, JRU will be pumped up to play us again. They’re a tough team, they execute well and they have good players,” Tiu said.
“We have to bring our A-game or else they will eat us alive. We have to be tough to match their physicality and hopefully, we will just be able to execute and follow the gameplan. I expect it to be a grind-out game and hopefully we’re up to the task.”
NCAA Most Valuable Player Will Gozum will be the main man for Saint Benilde to look out for after scoring 17 points and nine rebounds in the Blazers’ 74-56 win over Arellano last Saturday.
As for JRU mentor Louie Gonzales, they will have to do more than just win if they want to ensure they get back to the semifinals after a six-year wait.
“We will treat it like how we will treat every game but we need to focus and to play with more energy because that’s what I have kept saying to my players. Twice we had two-game winning streaks but after that, we fumbled,” Gonzales said.
