NCAA S88 preview: JRU hope to make F4 return; MIT and Lyceum try to break through

The 88th season of the NCAA begins later this week. Find out which players have moved on, who have been tapped to bolster teams' ranks, and who the mainstays of your favorite squad are, as well as their chances of lifting the trophy by the tournament's end. Part two features JRU, Mapua, and Lyceum. Jose Rizal University (S87: 9-9, 4th place) Head Coach: Vergel Meneses Additions: Israel Camasura, Rommel Diapera, Michael Mabulac, Rhyle Maconocido, Clint Munez, Brandon Porter, Juan Salaveria Subtractions: Jeckster Apinan, Carlos Dizon, Jay-ar Gaco, Raycon Kabigting, John Montemayor, Philip Paniamogan, Michael Tiongco Holdovers: Alex Almario, Ronnel Carampil, Cris Dela Paz, John Lopez, Nate Matute, Romnick Mendoza, Ralph Monserat, John Villarias JRU last season made the playoffs on the back of a simple plan: force turnovers, and get turnover points. They led the league in both categories, and went 6-3 after a 3-6 start, getting some measure of accomplishment by becoming one of just two teams to beat eventual champions San Beda College. The Heavy Bombers' problem will be if teams are able to take care of the ball. When JRU was forced into the half court last season, they at least had guys like Apinan down low and Kabigting to spread the floor, alongside Matute, Villarias and Lopez. The former two are gone now, along with big bodies Gaco and Montemayor, whom they could throw at other teams' centers and not worry about foul trouble. Making matters worse, JRU was already the worst three-point shooting team last season, making just 3.68 per game. With Kabigting graduating, that number's down to just three, so expect opponents to zone, zone, zone. Player to watch: With John Lopez in a FilOil tournament-long slump (9.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg, a sharp drop of his NCAA norms of 10.8 ppg and 7.9 rpg), head coach Vergel Meneses discovered he had another young big waiting in the wings in the form of rookie Michael Mabulac, who put up a total of 38 points and 18 rebounds in his last two games. He could form a nice one-two punch for JRU down low, and will be a huge asset when opponents slow down the pace on the Heavy Bombers.   Lyceum of the Philippines (S87: 7-11, 6th place) Head Coach: Bonnie Tan Additions: Shaquille Alanes, Joseph Ambohot, Moyabin Edding, Daniel Garcia, Jerome Martinez, Nelson Mendoza Subtractions: Aaron Anacta, Jan Lacap, Tirso Lesmoras, Jerome Ong, Onofre Napiza, Allan Santos Holdovers: Arwin Azores, Chris Cayabyab, Mark Francisco, Floricel Guevarra, Shane Ko, Vence Laude, Gian Mallari, Faustine Pascual, Dexter Zamora Lyceum was the surprise of Season 87, bucking their guest team status and a roster that lacked anyone standing taller than 6'4" to stay in contention for a Final Four spot for most of the way. They had a solid enough scoring troika with Caybayab, Guevarra and Ko, plus enough role players and the discipline required to compete in every game. The problem is late in the tourney, the team's surprise factor had worn off, as teams recognized that beyond Cayabyab and Guevarra, everyone else was inconsistent on offense at best. Coupled with a rash of injuries and the in-season departure of Allan Santos, the Pirates couldn't keep their fairytale story going. While Lyceum this off-season didn't find another scorer to ease the pressure off Cayabyab, who is literally a marked man now, they at least added two raw big men: Joseph Ambohot and Daniel Garcia. While "raw" might be too nice a descriptor for them, it's at least an upgrade on their situation last year. The lack of height on this squad forced them to foul early and often, and it led to them giving up a league-worst 31.17 free throws to their opponents. Even a single block, the equivalent of two less free throws, might enough to change a game. Player to watch: Forward Vence Laude posted four double-digit scoring games over the course of the last NCAA season (18 games), but in the FilOil, he managed the same number in half the outings. There will be games where Cayabyab and Guevarra catch fire and they just need Laude to play defense, but when those two are shut down, it would be a huge difference-maker, if he can become a reliable fourth scoring option. Mapua Institute of Technology (S87: 7-11, 5th place) Head Coach: Chito Victolero Additions: Gab Banal, Mark Brana, Joseph Eriobu, Andrew Estrella, Raphael Layug, Jesse Saitanan Subtractions: Jason Cantos, Ellison Maniego, Allan Mangahas, Jason Pascual, Rodel Ranises, Mark Sarangay, Yousef Taha Holdovers: Michael Abad, Jonathan Banal, Jumel Chien, Kenneth Ighalo, Darrell Magsigay, Josan Nimes, Mike Parala, Andretti Stevens The Mapua Cardinals last season were a chic pick to make the Final Four, but the amount of talent they had turned out to be more on paper than on the hardwood court, as they lost their first four games, and then five of their last six to finish two games behind the last Final Four team, JRU. MIT simply allowed opponents to shred them from downtown, giving up the most triples (5.83) and the highest three-point percentage (33.12 percent) to their opponents After losing essentially five starters, it's hard to see MIT improve on their finish of last season. True, promising Rookie of the Year Josan Nimes is still around, and they have a nice core of veterans to surround him with, but they lost their height advantage, and their depth, two things that are essential to NCAA success. That said, maybe this year can be the opposite of the previous NCAA season, with the team being greater than the sum of their parts? Player to watch: Gab Banal was buried on the bench when he was with the UAAP's DLSU Green Archers, but he quickly became the Cardinals' go-to-guy in the FilOil tournament, flashing all-around production of 13.8 points (a team-high), 8.3 rebounds, 3.3 rebounds and 0.7 steals. With such a large chunk of last year's offense gone, Banal might be just the thing when it comes to both putting points on the board, and getting the rock to guys who are open. - GMA News