NCAA S87: SBC vs CSB

History Lesson:
San Beda escaped a huge potential upset, after Baser Amer missed two charities with 8.9 seconds on the clock. On the previous possessions, CSB unleashed a 7-2 run that brought them to within a point, 79-78, and now their fate was in their hands. Streaking down from the right-side win, Carlo Lastimosa was able to get a floater up in time to beat the buzzer over Amer, but unfortunately, the shot had a bit too much mustard on it, allowing the Red Lions to breathe a huge sigh of relief. (Recap here)

What's at Stake:

• At 12-2, the Red Lions were able to leap ahead of the 12-3 Letran Knights, taking a half-game lead over them in the hunt for the second seed and the twice to beat advantage that comes with it. A win here would serve to further tighten their grip on the spot, before they gear up to end the elimination round against them and the Stags.
• The 5-9 CSB Blazers face an uphill climb to jump back into the hunt for the fourth seed in the standings, with three teams, JRU, MIT and LPU all ahead of them. They do have less games played than the other teams, but whether or not a tight schedule favors them remains to be seen.

SBC Stat to Watch : The Red Lions normally beat zones by outrunning them, getting out in transition before the opponent can set up their defense. Norming 14.71 fastbreak points, San Beda got just seven versus Benilde in their first round game, as the Blazers consistently were able to get back on defense. If their outside shots aren't falling, San Beda will have to be faster in this match.
SBC Player to Watch : Characterizing San Beda's woes in this game was Garvo Lanete, who was a miserable 5 for 22 in this game, for 12 points. While he is indeed their squad's best outside shooter and thus, their designated zone breaker, the Lions will need to look for other options should Lanete be shut down. Of course, things get a lot easier if Lanete wax hot during the game...

CSB Stat to Watch : After averaging just 12 points off turnovers in the first round, with their 20 against this opponent being a high-mark, the Blazers have improved by a lot in that regard. In their five second round games, Benilde has normed 20.8 in that category, not dipping below 15 even once. With Carlo Lastimosa gone, they'll need all the easy points they can get.
CSB Player to Watch : In their first game without Lastimosa, the Blazers got some nice production from rookie Michael Pate, who tallied 13 points on 4 of 6 shooting. They'll need him to continue with that sort of scoring, especially if San Beda targets Paolo Taha and Jonathan Grey for stopping.
 
Prediction: SBC Red Lions