Colegio de San Juan de Letran will try to salvage its season when it takes on Arellano University in a rare triple-header on Wednesday in NCAA Season 100 at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
The Knights go for the win against the Chiefs at 11 a.m. with the former three-time champion hoping to book at least a playoff for fourth, if Lyceum of the Philippines University loses to De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde on Friday.
Following the all-important match will be the 2:30 p.m. encounter between Benilde and San Beda University and the 6 p.m. collision between Mapua University and San Sebastian College-Recoletos with both the Blazers and the Cardinals eyeing to lock up the top spot ahead of the Final Four.
Letran is coming off a huge victory over its longtime rival San Beda last Sunday, where Jimboy Estrada took the scoring cudgels with 24 points, highlighted by the back-to-back clutch jumpers to seal the victory.
However, the Knights are onto the next thing. They will need to win over Arellano to keep their chances alive.
"Siyempre, alam n'yo naman, parang matalo na sa iba, natalo na nga ako sa iba eh. I'm just joking, you know," Letran coach Allen Ricardo said.
"But, ayun na nga. Na-close namin itong game na 'to. And then, we focus on the next, Arellano."
The Red Lions, meanwhile, would want to bounce back after that loss, which saw the Knights prevail over the Mendiola crew for the first time since Letran's title sweep back in Season 97 in 2022.
But they will have to do it at the expense of Benilde, which absorbed a heartbreaking loss to Mapua last Sunday courtesy of a game-winning three-pointer from Clint Escamis at the buzzer.
In the third game, Mapua, the hottest team in the tournament right now, will be looking to extend its winning streak to eight against the lowly Stags as the Cardinals near a second round sweep.
While they are already assured of the twice-to-beat bonus, Mapua head coach Randy Alcantara said they should remain level-headed and focus on their remaining games in the elimination round.
"Hindi namin iniisip 'yung twice-to-beat, one game at a time. Magpe-prepare ulit kami. May two games pa kaming natitira so kailangan nando'n pa rin kami sa games na 'yun," Alcantara said.
"Malayo pa 'yung Final Four and mababalewala 'yan 'pag hindi kami ready lagi."
—JKC, GMA Integrated News
