The defending champion Red Lions face off with the dangerous Heavy Bombers at 2 p.m. to be followed by the semifinal encounter between No. 2 seed San Sebastian College (SSC) and Colegio San Juan de Letran (CSJL) at 4 p.m.
San Beda, which is eyeing its fifth crown in six seasons, emerged as the top team after the double-round eliminations with a 16-2 record, but one of those losses was inflicted by JRU in the first round of the eliminations.
The Red Lions avenged that loss in the second round, but the San Beda side was obviously dissatisfied and will be more determined with the stakes now much higher.
JRU beat San Beda, 76-65, in their first encounter of the season on September 14 and the Red Lions won in the second round, 77-69.
“Payback time,” said Red Lions head coach Frankie Lim, whose wards beat the Stags, 88-85, on Friday to claim the top ranking in the semifinals.
“We came from three big games and now we are sharp facing JRU. The key for the game is to stay composed on the defensive pressure that we expect from JRU,” Lim added.
San Beda faced Letran before taking on San Sebastian twice in the killer stretch to take the top spot in the preliminaries.
Garvo Lanete, who averaged a league second-best 19.2 points per game in the eliminations, will again lead the Red Lions along with Jake Pascual, Base Amer and Dave Marcelo.
The Heavy Bombers of head coach Vergel Meneses are in for a tough grind but are entering the game with confidence, having proven they could beat the defending champions.
JRU, which finished fourth with a 9-9 slate, will bank on Byron Villarias, John Lopez, Jeckster Apinan and Alex Almario in a do-or-die game for them.
The semifinal encounter between the Knights and the 2009 champion Stags is too close to call, according to experts, and both coaches also expect a slam-bang encounter.
San Sebastian, which held the No. 1 spot for most of the eliminations before the Red Lions made that late push, will be bannered by its so-called Big Three of Calvin Abueva, Ronald Pacual and Ian Sangalang.
The trio averaged a combined 56.6 points per game in the 18-game elimination phase but Knights head coach Louie Alas said the Stags are no longer a three-man team.
“Before, we just have to contain the Big Three. Pero ngayon kasama na ang reserves,” said Alas, who edged SSC in their second-round meeting, 82-81. “It is essential for us to control the boards and [commit] less turnovers.”
Though Letran has the capability to win two in a row against the Stags, who hold a twice-to-beat incentive, Alas said their focus is to win the first game first.
SSC mentor Topex Robinson is eyeing his first finals stint as a coach in the NCAA and like their previous encounters, his Stags are bracing for war.
“We expect them to play physical against us,” said Robinson, who beat the Knights, 71-62, in the first round.
Letran is banking on versatile guard Kevin Alas, who averaged 17.2 points (fourth in the league) and 5.7 assists (No. 1) in the eliminations.
(Joel Orellana)
