Top-seeded teams University of Perpetual Help System DALTA and San Beda University look to draw first blood when they lock horns with Colegio de San Juan de Letran and De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, respectively, in the NCAA Season 101 Final Four on Tuesday.
Group A leader Altas will take on the surging Knights at 11 a.m., while Group B frontrunner Red Lions will face the Blazers at 2:30 p.m., with both games set at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Both series are best-of-three matchups.
Perpetual ended the group stage round with a 9-4 win-loss card, but one of its four losses came at the hands of the Knights when Letran pulled off a 63-56 stunner behind Titing Manalili, Deo Cuajao, and Jimboy Estrada.
The Altas secured a twice-to-beat quarterfinal advantage and eventually won over Jose Rizal University, 81-74, to advance to the semifinals.
It was a different story for the Knights, who had to overcome a twice-to-win disadvantage against Arellano University to secure the final Final Four spot.
The two teams now meet for the second time this season, with much more at stake.
"We're just happy to be in the Final Four. That's our first goal. All of our short-term goals [nangyari] and then may long-term goal kami. At least 'yung isa nakuha na namin," Perpetual head coach Olsen Racela said.
"So, on to the next goal kami: making the finals."
Over the other bracket, San Beda and Benilde are set for a highly anticipated matchup.
The Red Lions will aim to avenge their semifinals loss to Benilde in Season 100, which ended San Beda’s title defense, as the Blazers advanced straight to the championship round to face eventual champion Mapua University.
A key weapon that San Beda will maximize is Janti Miller, who currently leads San Beda with an impressive statline of 19.64 points, 6.07 rebounds, and 1.07 assists.
But San Beda head coach Yuri Escueta is expecting no less than a dogfight in what he called a 'bracket of death' against the Blazers, who are coming off a huge quarterfinals win that dethroned Mapua.
"Just like how we prepared when you guys said that our bracket was the ‘Group of Death,’ ngayon naman sa Final Four, nasa ‘Bracket of Death’ naman din kami, ‘di ba?," Escueta said.
“Wala kang choice. Whoever we face, we have to prepare. And you know, one step at a time. If sila ang makalaban namin to be able to reach our goal, we have to be ready for them.”
—JKC, GMA Integrated News
