NATIONAL University (NU) takes on Letran, while University of Santo Tomas (UST) hangs on to dear life in Group B against struggling Southwestern University (SWU), as the eliminations of the Filoil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup hits its final week on Wednesday at The Arena in San Juan City.
The Aldin Ayo-coached Knights, playing in their final elimination-round contest of the tournament, has the chance to clinch at least the third seed in Group A with an upset of the defending University Athletic Association of the Philippines champions Bulldogs in their at 3:15 p.m. game.
Letran (5-2), which dropped two of its first three assignments to Perpetual Help and Far Eastern University (FEU), has won four straight since then to vault itself into the top 3 of the group. Its latest victim, College of Saint Benilde, fell via a close 68-64 squeaker last Friday.
NU (4-2) dropped two of its last three contests to FEU and Josè Rizal University to cling on to the last spot in the playoffs, barely ahead of the fifth-placed Tamaraws. The Heavy Bombers shackled the Bulldogs, 70-68, in their second overtime loss of the tournament a week earlier.
UST, stuck at 3-3 in fifth place in tough Group B, will try to stave off elimination with a win over SWU at 1:30 p.m.
Other games on the all-seniors schedule on Wednesday pit Group A’s St. Benilde against University of Perpetual Help in the 10 a.m. curtain-raiser and University of the East against University of the Philippines at 11:45 a.m. In Group B, it will be San Beda against Mapúa at 5 p.m.