MANILA, Philippines - Letran tries to make it two in a row for the first time this year as it faces Arellano U even Emilio Aguinaldo College and Mapua clash in a duel of tail-enders in the 90th NCAA men’s basketball tournament at The Arena in San Juan City today.
Fresh from their scrambling 63-61 victory over the Generals last Wednesday, the Knights hope to sustain their form and pounce on the Chiefs’ triple-overtime setback to the Jose Rizal U Bombers last Friday for what could be their first back-to-back wins after a poor 2-4 start.
Gametime is at 2 p.m.
Arellano, however, is expected to rebound from that heartbreaker as it seeks to firm up its hold of second with a 6-2 card and stalk idle leader San Beda, which totes a 6-1 card.
“We’re playing a Letran team that made it to the finals last season. Winning against them will be a character-defining moment for us,” said Arellano U coach Jerry Codinera.
The former PBA star also stressed the need for his wards to toughen up at endgame following their loss to Jose Rizal.
During that game, the Chiefs led by double digits in the fourth quarter of regulation and by six points in the first overtime but wilted under pressure, enabling the Bombers to escape with the win.
“We had our chances against Jose Rizal but we couldn’t capitalized on it,” said Codinera/
The Knights, for their part, hope to draw the best from co-captains and playmkers Kevin Racal and Mark Cruz.
EAC (1-5) and Mapua (1-6) collide in the other game at 4 p.m.