COLLEGE of St. Benilde has its eyes on the No. 1 seed while Lyceum goes for a Final Four berth when they clash today, Friday, in the 100th NCAA basketball tournament at The Arena in San Juan.
Tied with the Mapua Cardinals for the lead at 14-3, the Blazers need to win the match starting at noon to clinch the top seeding in the semis even if Mapua catches up with them since CSB has a higher quotient.
A win will enable CSB to avoid a dangerous team in defending champion San Beda University in the Final Four.
“They’re one of the best teams, they really have a deep lineup, great coaching staff,” said CSB coach Charles Tiu of San Beda. “I told them (his charges) if they want to play San Beda in the semis, it’s fine by me, but you guys decide how you want to play.
“But ako, we want to compete every game, we want to improve every game,” Tui said, adding: “We want that No. 1.”
If the Blazers emerge as the top seed, they will face either Lyceum or Emilio Aguinaldo College in the semis,
Beating Lyceum is no easy task considering the Pirates are going all out for a win that would give them a ticket to the Final Four.
Clashing in the other game at 2:30 p.m. are EAC and Jose Rizal U, with the Generals favored to win.
If the Generals win and the Pirates lose, a playoff for the last semis berth will be held on Tuesday next week.