College of Saint Benilde is on a three-game winning run while defending champion is coming off a stunning defeat.
So what do you expect when these fancied squads clash in Friday’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament?
There will be lot of fireworks – that’s for sure.
Game time at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City is at 12 noon with both teams determined to come out a winner in their much-awaited showdown.
Mapua and University of Perpetual Help System Dalta, both sporting identical 1-2 records, play at 3 p.m.
For the Knights, Friday’s game with the Blazers will test their character on how they perform coming off a 72-69 defeat to the Arellano Chiefs.
It was Letran’s first defeat in almost three years, or since ending a long title-drought in the country’s oldest collegiate league.
CSB coach Charles Tiu knows it pretty well.
“Mga two years, three years ata sila hindi natalo. I don’t know. I hope we can give them a losing streak. They are tough, they always play physical and they’re the defending champs for a reason so it’s gonna be a hard game,” said Charles Tiu.
Having a luxury of better preseason preparations this time around, Tiu is looking forward for his Blazers to improve each game, especially this coming game.
And they appear ready having posted a winning margin of 13.33 points through three games, thanks to the heads up plays of Will Gozum.
Gozom is among the league’s scoring leaders with 17 points per contest, as well as their main gunners Migs Oczon and Miggy Corteza.
“It’s only three games, we have a long way to go. We still haven’t played Letran, Mapua, San Beda, the three teams I said consistently that would be in the final four so still a long way to go for us. But at least we’re playing better,” said Tiu.
The 1-1 Knights are opening a tough stretch as they are also set to face Mapua in a rematch of last season’s Finals on Tuesday, and bitter rival San Beda on Friday.
