Letran eyes lead share, Final Four incentive

Assured of its spot in the Final Four, Letran now tries to close in on one of the two twice-to-beat incentive in the next round as it takes on Jose Rizal University even as Mapua goes all out to firm up its hold of the fourth and last semis berth against Perpetual Help in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Only the last semis spot is up for grabs after the Philippine Christian U Dolphins whipped the San Sebastian Stags, 81-71, Wednesday to clinch the third semis berth with the San Beda Red Lions (9-1) and the Knights (8-1) taking the first two.

But with the Dolphins just a shade in third with an 8-2 mark, expect the Knights to dish out their best game against the Bombers in their 2 p.m. encounter in a bid to boost their bid for the twice-to-beat incentive.

The top two teams after the double-round elims will gain twice-to-beat advantage against the third and fourth-ranked squads in the Final Four.

"Our focus now is to remain in the top two," said Letran coach Louie Alas. "But for us to accomplish that, we need to work harder and avoid being over complacent."

Alas could be referring to his team’s 74-70 triumph over Jose Rizal in their first round encounter last July 5.

And with Jose Rizal coming off a big 73-69 upset win over the Cardinals last week, the Knights could be in for a big surprise from the Bombers, who are trying to crash into the next round via backdoor. Jose Rizal is tied for sixth with Perpetual with 2-7 slates.