After years of dwelling in the cellar and tagged also-rans, the Altas and the Dolphins take center stage in the 80th NCAA championship today before an expected huge crowd at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
Drawing a superb effort from Marcel Cuenco, the Altas trounced the San Beda Red Lions, 58-56, while the Dolphins leaned on a hobbling Rob Sanz in overtime to dethrone the Letran Knights, 85-80, Wednesday to set up the title duel.
Only last year, the two finished tied at the bottom and nobody expected the two to reach the Final Four, much more, the championship round this season.
But the Altas and the Dolphins have defied all odds by going all the way to the championship with two dramatic semifinal victories and will now dispute the crown that would give the victor the recognition as the league’s best.
Perpetual Help, for one, has been around for two decades now and its closest brush with a title was 15 years ago but it hoped this could be the year of the Altas.
"We’re just hoping we could win it this year, matagal na ring uhaw ang school," said Perpetual Help coach Arturo "Bai" Cristobal, who is back in the finals after steering the Stags to the last two of a stirring five-peat feat in 1996 and 1997.
PCU, for its part, has joined the league eight seasons ago and its highest finish was two years back when it barged into the Final Four but lost to St. Benilde.
The Dolphins, however, will be suiting up for Game One without their coach—Loreto "Ato" Tolentino – who was suspended for one game for misconduct during Thurday’s encounter.
Tolentino blew his top after what he perceived as a bad call on a driving Jason Castro that triggered a debris-pelting incident and a heated verbal exchange with NCAA commissioner Ricky Palou at mid-court.
Tolentino questioned the offensive foul by Castro on Letran’s Ronjay Enrile but in a video review of the incident yesterday it showed Castro dropping his shoulder on a defending Enrile at impact and was slapped a charging foul.
"It was a correct call, we reviewed it on tape," Palou told The STAR.
Another thing going against PCU is the absence of Ian Garrido, who is a doubtful starter after injuring his left knee Wednesday.
With Tolentino out and Garrido injured, leading MVP contender Gabriel Espinas, Joel Solis, Sanz, Castro and Ramon Retaga must step up against a Perpetual Help team playing only with nine players.