Two teams have already booked their tickets to the NCAA Season 98 Final Four with defending champion Colegio de San Juan de Letran and upstart Lyceum of the Philippines University clinching their places. With the playoff picture becoming clearer, see how the teams stand in this stretch run.
1 Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights | Record: 12-3 (Week 9 record: 1-0) | Last week: 1st
They weren’t particularly impressive in their lone assignment this week as they had to escape a much lower-ranked EAC squad, but did so thanks to the heroics of King Caralipio and Kurt Reyson. In the bigger picture, that’s now nine straight wins for the defending champions, who have solidified their claim as the favorites this season.
They have such a balanced lineup with sturdy frontcourt presences (led by Louie Sangalang and Caralipio) and dangerous perimeter threats like Brent Paraiso (9th in the NCAA in scoring), and Reyson and Fran Yu (both Top-10 in three-point percentage). Add in all of the championship experience, and the Knights’ three-peat bid looks very much a possibility in the Season 98 playoffs.
2 Lyceum of the Philippines University Pirates | Record: 11-5 (Week 9 record: 2-0) | Last week: 4th
Huge week for Lyceum as they picked up a pair of crucial wins. They outdueled fellow contender San Beda, 81-80, and that win could prove crucial in playoff positioning. Their 73-65 dismantling of San Sebastian also clinched them the second ticket to the Final Four.
Enoch Valdez turned in a career-high 30 points alongside 11 rebounds and three steals against the Stags, in a performance that earned him Collegiate Press Corps NCAA Player of the Week honors this week, and they can hope that he can carry this momentum as the Pirates prepare for a deep playoff run.
3 De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde Blazers | Record: 10-4 (Week 9 record: 1-1) | Last week: 3rd
Kudos to Benilde for getting through a very difficult week on very unusual circumstances. They seemed like they were off to a really good start to it after going up 20 points on JRU in the fourth quarter of their game last Tuesday, but things have been eventful, to say the least, since then.
They did secure the win over the Heavy Bombers following the incident that saw 11 JRU players and three Benilde players suspended to various degrees. And they may have paid the price for that in their loss to Perpetual, in a game where it would be understandable if the focus wasn’t all there.
But they need to put that behind them because they are very much in the thick of things here in Season 98 and there’s plenty of basketball left to play for the Blazers if they are to accomplish their goal of fighting for the championship.
4 San Beda University Red Lions | Record: 10-5 (Week 9 record: 1-1) | Last week: 2nd
San Beda couldn’t quite pull it off in a crucial head-to-head vs LPU this week, but they will take some comfort in their revenge game win over Mapua, where they were able to eliminate their tormentors from Season 97.
The Red Lions have won four of their last five games now, which should give them some momentum heading into this final stretch of games. They might be peaking at just the right time, especially with Season 97 starter Ralph Penuela coming back from injury.
But if they are to be a real threat this season, they need to prove they can win those big games – and they’ll have their chances to show it as they look to be in prime position to seal one of those semifinal seats.
5 University of Perpetual Help System DALTA ALTAs | Record: 7-9 (Week 9 record: 2-1) | Last week: 9th
Another up and down week for Perpetual, as they lose to cellar-dwelling EAC but somehow find a way to upset Benilde then win over JRU, which had led in the standings for much of this season. It kind of encapsulates what kind of season the ALTAs have had, which has been a bit of a roller-coaster following a strong showing in Season 97.
Without Kim Aurin (who is 4th in the NCAA in points per game) due to violation of team protocols and Jielo Razon, Perpetual still managed to pick up two wins, which bodes well for the future. But they were also officially eliminated from contention this week. There is, of course, plenty of reason to keep fighting and finish the elimination round strong, and expect this team to dig deep and give teams some more trouble before they officially wrap up their season.
6 San Sebastian College-Recoletos Golden Stags | Record: 6-8 (Week 9 record: 1-1) | Last week: 7th
After a 1-1 week with a win over JRU and a loss to LPU, San Sebastian is the last team currently outside the Top 4 that is still in contention for a Final Four spot, but it’s going to take something special for the Stags to make it.
But special is what they’re able to show in flashes, such as in Rhinwill Yambing’s incredible shooting performance this week, where he scored 36 points built around 11 made three-pointers. It seems like a tall task for the Stags, but the season’s not over until it’s over.
7 Mapua University Cardinals | Record: 6-10 (Week 9 record: 1-1) | Last week: 5th
Mapua’s improbable second round turnaround finally came to an end as they were eliminated from contention this week in a loss to San Beda.
It was a valiant effort for Mapua, but their 0-8 start to the season just proved too much to overcome. Still, they should be proud of their recent run. The Cardinals were able to notch six wins in seven games before the Red Lions put the nail on the coffin on their semis hopes.
8 Arellano University Chiefs | Record: 6-9 (Week 9 record: 0-1) | Last week: 8th
Arellano was another team that fell out of the Final Four race after a 20-point loss to Mapua this week. Not having the injured Cade Flores has really hurt the Chiefs in their last few games, and that has derailed what was once a promising season at the start.
They still have a few games remaining to rack up a couple more wins, though, and that’s something they can build on for next season.
9 Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals | Record: 2-14 (Week 9 record: 1-1) | Last week: 10th
The Generals had a relatively positive week as they were able to notch only their second win of the season with a victory of Perpetual. They also came back and gave Letran a challenge, though they eventually lost by seven.
That they were able to be competitive despite missing guys like Allen Liwag and JP Maguliano bodes well for them, and that might translate into a strong finish if they can keep it up the rest of the way.
10 Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers | Record: 6-9 (Week 9 record: 0-3) | Last week: 6th
To say this was a rough week for JRU might be an understatement with a brawl, suspensions, and three double-digit losses to mark the week. Top it off, they were also formally booted from contention as they were eliminated from the Final Four race.
The Heavy Bombers were just never able to recover from their extended hiatus as they’ve lost seven of their last eight games now to drop to 6-9 despite a strong start to Season 98.
—JMB, GMA Integrated News
