NEXT ROUND. College of Saint Benilde's Jhomel Ancheta scores on a layup during the game against Jose Rizal University in the NCAA Season 100 men's basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena on Tuesday (Oct. 8, 2024). Saint Benilde marched to the second round on top of the ladder with a 7-2 win-loss card. (NCAA photo)
MANILA – The College of Saint Benilde (CSB) and San Beda University expect the second round of the NCAA Season 100 men's basketball tournament to be tougher.
The Blazers topped the first round with a 7-2 win-loss record followed by the defending champion Red Lions.
San Beda, Mapua University, and Colegio de San Juan de Letran have similar 6-3 cards, but San Beda took the No. 2 spot after the tiebreaker.
“I still think it’s very shaky, to be honest, I would have wanted to end with one or zero losses if possible. We were there every game even our losses, we collapsed a little in the end,” CSB coach Charles Tiu said after their 84-69 win over Jose Rizal University (JRU) on Tuesday.
CSB's two losses were against Arellano (71-73) and Letran (69-71).
For San Beda mentor Yuri Escueta, more needs to be done.
“We still have a lot to fix but we’re getting there and hopefully after nine games, we have adjusted in the NCAA type of game and atmosphere,” he said.
The University of Perpetual Help, Lyceum of the Philippines University, and Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC) have identical 4-5 slates followed by Arellano University and JRU, both with 3-6 records, and San Sebastian College - Recoletos (2-7) going into the next round tentatively set to start on Friday.
These teams will definitely try to boost their chances of making it to the Final Four.
San Sebastian may pull off more surprises in the second round. The Stags' two wins were over the Letran Knights and the Lyceum Pirates, both Final Four contenders. (PNA)
