MICHAEL Calisaan seeks to ride the crest of his best performance as a college player as he and the San Sebastian Stags clash with the Jose Rizal Bombers today for a chance to remain in the title hunt in the 93rd NCAA basketball tournament at the MOA Arena in Pasay City.
Calisaan should be coming in confident after dropping a career high 36-point effort in a 74-69 victory over the Letran Knights Tuesday that secured the Stags their first semis appearance since making it that far five seasons ago.
Game time is at 3:30 p.m.
“I’m excited to play my first game in the Final Four,” said Calisaan in Filipino.
Jose Rizal, which is making a Final Four return after missing the cut last year, though should come in as the heavy favorites as it swept San Sebastian in the elimination round, 73-62 in the first and the 60-58 in the second.
Bombers coach Vergel Meneses, however, said its back to zero.
“I’ve been in basketball for so long that anything can happen in a playoff game. For us, we just have to be focused and ready for anything,” said Meneses.
Expect and rough and physical game as Jose Rizal and San Sebastian are two of the league’s top defensive teams with the former ranked second by allowing opponents to just 69 points a game while the latter coming in third with 70.2.
And San Sebastian mentor Egay Macaraya knows they’re in for a tough match.
“Jose Rizal is an experienced team and always a tough team to play because of their rugged defense,” said Macaraya.
In juniors’ action, San Beda and defending champion Mapua aim to forge a best-of-three title duel as they take on St. Benilde-La Salle Greenhills and Letran at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., respectively.
The Cubs and the Robins clinched the twice-to-beat edge by finishing first and second while the Squires and the Junior Blazers needed to win two in a row to make it the finals, being the third and fourth seeds.
Games today
(MOA Arena, Pasay)
11 a.m.- San Beda vs CSB (jrs semis)
1 p.m.- Mapua vs Letran (jrs semis)
3:30 p.m.- San Sebastian
vs Jose Rizal (srs)