Jose Rizal University and Lyceum of the Philippines University will look to break their deadlock in the team standings while Emilio Aguinaldo College and San Sebastian College-Recoletos eye to bounce back on Tuesday in the second round opener of the NCAA Season 99.
JRU and Lyceum, both sporting 6-3 cards, will slug it out at 2 p.m. before the 4 p.m. encounter of EAC and San Sebastian, who are both coming off losses last week.
The Heavy Bombers needed two extra periods to escape the Pirates last Tuesday with Jonathan Medina sinking the game-winning jumper as JRU snapped its two-game skid.
After that, JRU pulled off an 88-72 victory over struggling Arellano University, where Marwin Dionisio dropped a 21-point performance laced with four rebounds, three assists, and two blocks to move the Heavy Bombers up to a tie for third place with Lyceum.
The Pirates, meanwhile, saw their ship sink for a third straight game, losing to EAC, Mapua, and JRU after opening their campaign with a red-hot 6-0 start behind team captain Enoch Valdez as well as Shawn Umali, John Barba, and JM Bravo.
But JRU, which is continuously showing its depth this season, is hoping to pull off a repeat win over Lyceum.
"Ang mentality kasi lagi ni Coach Louie ay next man up. Hindi kami pwedeng dumipende sa isang player," JRU assistant coach Alex Callueng said.
Meanwhile, EAC and San Sebastian are hoping to return to the win column as they square off later in the day.
The Generals, who have beaten three members of last year's Final Four cast, are fresh from an 86-72 loss to the other Season 98 finalist in San Beda University, with Ralph Robin showing the way in the losing effort.
But against the Stags, EAC will need more than the hot-shooting of the graduating guard as San Sebastian is also looking to recover from a two-game slide that saw them bow to Letran and San Beda.
—JMB, GMA Integrated News
