NCAA Final Four: Streaking San Beda face 4th seed JRU Heavy Bombers

San Beda and Jose Rizal University, two of the hottest teams in the 87th NCAA men’s basketball season, collide Monday in the Final Four Monday at The Arena in San Juan. The Red Lions and the Heavy Bombers clash at 2 p.m. with a sight on the finals. San Beda needs only a win to advance due to their twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four. San Beda (16-2) won its last seven games of the season, including two games against San Sebastian, to barge into the number one spot entering the Final Four for the fifth straight year. JRU emerged from being a cellar dweller to a Final Four contender by racking up six consecutive wins to finish fourth with an even 9-9 record. Both teams split their season series with San Beda winning the first round encounter via a 77-69 decision last August 10 before JRU bounced back with a 76-65 win last September 14. San Beda coach Frankie Lim, however, said that the Final Four will be a different story, at least from the standpoint of the Red Lions. “When we lost to JRU, we were off for 12 days. But this time, we came from a high-level of basketball so I think it will be different," said Lim. The Heavy Bombers should be wary about San Beda especially after coming off huge victories to end the elimination round. San Beda’s streak began after its loss to JRU and it beat the top teams Letran and San Sebastian twice in its last game of the elimination round and playoff for top spot. “We want to go on streaks and we want to carry it to the finals. But it will be difficult because JRU knows how to beat us," said Lim. One of the reasons for JRU’s resurgence was its win over San Beda in the second round. “We need to slow things down because San Beda can really be fast when it comes to their ball movement and they are playing as a team. We need to work hard and we can’t make mistakes because one mistake can turn things around," said JRU coach Vergel Meneses. But Meneses was not happy with how the Heavy Bombers closed out the elimination round despite a 90-77 victory over Emilio Aguinaldo College last October 10 as the Generals kept them at bay before claiming the win. “Maybe they were already thinking of the Final Four. I wanted to enter the Final Four convincingly," said Meneses. - OMG, GMA News