INTRAMUROS rivals Letran and Mapua collide in a rematch of last season’s championship as the National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament resumes Tuesday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
A victory in the 3 p.m. game will allow the Knights to gain a piece of the lead. And coach Bonnie Tan acknowledged how intense the competition is right from the get-go.
“Almost all games are crucial, especially early in the season. I told the players that our victories and losses can create a trend,” Tan said. “So we’re hoping that we’re on the way up in the trend, now downwards.”
The Knights beat the Cardinals in all their three meetings last season which they capped with a two-game sweep in the Finals for a perfect 11-0 championship run.
Letran’s close victories over Jose Rizal University and College of Saint Benilde were sandwiched by a loss to Arellano University that ended the Knights’ 14-game winning streak that dates back to 2019.
The Knights will turn on veterans Fran Yu, Mark Sangalang and Brent Paraiso to post their first winning streak of the season.
Mapua lost three straight games to drop to ninth place after scoring a big win over San Beda that has suddenly turned the Cardinals as one of the title favorites.
The Cardinals will bank on Warren Bonifacio, Rence Nocum and Arvin Gamboa to arrest the slide.
The Letran-Mapua is the only game scheduled for Tuesday after the San Sebastian-Emilio Aguinaldo College match—scheduled at 12 noon—was moved to a later date because of health and safety protocols.