Lions gun for title vs Knights

MANILA, Philippines - San Beda and Letran face off today in the opener of their best-of-three series for the 89th NCAA men’s basketball crown at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City with the Red Lions out to repeat over their arch rivals and extend their dynastic reign and the Knights seeking for a payback.

The Lions clipped the Knights in sudden death to complete a three-peat last year but with MVP Raymond Almazan enjoying top form and vowing to win it all for Letran heading to his pro stint, odds could tilt to the other side this time.

“I just want to help my team win a championship first and foremost before I go to the PBA,” said the 6-7 Almazan, the runaway winner for this year’s coveted individual plum.

“All MVP awards will be meaningless if we could not win the championship,” he added.

That should make the 2:30 p.m. match doubly interesting with San Beda’s 6-8 Nigerian Ola Adeogun expected to have his hands full not only against Almazan but also as the Lions’ top offensive option.

“Ola and our defense have carried us through the whole season and we hope to rely heavily on it in this series,” said San Beda coach Boyet Fernandez.

San Beda and Letran topped the double round elims and waylaid their respective Final Four rivals with the Lions swamping the No. 4 Perpetual Help Altas, 70-51, and the Knights blasting the No. 3 San Sebastian Stags, 85-58.

It will also be a duel between two new coaches with Fernandez taking over Ronnie Magsanoc and trying to duplicate his feat last year and Caloy Garcia hoping to achieve what Louie Alas had failed to do last season.

“I wasn’t the coach last year but I know a San Beda-Letran game is always a classic,” said Fernandez.

“It’s always a war whenever Letran plays San Beda so expect one in this series,” said Garcia.

San Beda is currently the league’s winningest team with 17 championships, including the last three titles and six of the last seven in a dominating stretch when it made the Final Four as the top seed and reached the finals for the eighth straight time.