NCAA Final 4: Knights vs Bombers, Lions vs Cards

It's going to be all-out war on Wednesday at the 83 NCAA men's basketball tournament when the four surviving teams the start of the Final Four matches before an expected full house crowd at the Araneta Coliseum. In the first game at 2 p.m., the Letran Knights, 16-time NCAA basketball champs, square off with tournament host Jose Rival University (JRU) Bombers. The Knights, who last won the title in 2005, will be bannered by prolific scorer RJ Razul, center Bryan Faundo and guard John Melegrito while the Bombers will bank on the scoring of big man JR Sena, point guard Mark Cagoco, and forward Jayson Nocom. In the second game at 4 p.m., the San Beda Red Lions, the league defending champions, will clash with the perennial Final Four contenders, the Mapua Red Cardinals. The Lions will bank on the services of 6-foot-7' center Sam Ekwe, point guard Paul Escobal, forward Yousif Aljamal, and guard Rojemar Menor. And Mapua will have 2007 MVP candidate Kelvin dela Peña, shooter Sean Co, forward-center Neil Pascual, and guard Jonathan Banal. "It's no secret that Letran is the more experienced team and the best defensive squad in the last four seasons so it's really going to be hard for us to beat them," Bombers coach Ariel Vanguardia said at the Final Four press conference at the Kamayan Restaurant on EDSA last Monday. "But if we can find a way to make our shots and stay focused throughout, we'll have a shot at beating them," Vanguardia said. Cardinals coach Leo Isaac is confident of his wards' chances to spring a surprise against the Lions. "It's a fact that San Beda is heavily favored to repeat this year. But if luck sides with us, maybe we'll have a chance to pull of a surprise," Isaac said. In the last tournament, the Heavy Bombers finished third in the men's standings with a 7-5 win-loss slate, while the Cardinals rallied from back of the pack to wind up at fourth with a 6-6 record as they drew up a pair of duels with the No. 2 Letran Knights and the top seeded Lions. The Bombers and the Cardinals need to beat their opponents twice to make the best-of-three finals starting on Sept. 19. Game 2 is set for September 26, while a winner-take-all match, if necessary, will be played on September 28. "Although I'm not thinking that far because our hands are full against Letran, I can see Mapua pulling off a possible upset," Vanguardia said. San Beda's Frankie Lim and Letran's Louie Alas did not show up in Monday's Final Four media meeting. Lim, who has steered the Lions to the top with an 11-1 record after the elimination round, was with the Talk 'N' Text team playing a pre-season PBA game. Alas, who powered the Muralla-based team to titles in 1998, 2003, and 2005, was indisposed for the press conference and was represented by assistant coach JV Sison. "We're expecting the worst and hoping for the best," Sison said. - GMANews.TV