San Beda and Letran seem headed for an inevitable clash for the Men's Basketball Championship in NCAA Season 82. Both teams sport only one loss each as of this writing and are in good form to take the Top 2 Final 4 slots midway through the combat of the second round. Both the Red Lions and the Knights have been playing smart, tightly-controlled basketball, finding the right formula for mixing the veterans and the newcomers resulting in win after win. San Beda coach Koy Banal and Letran coach Louie Alas are battle-tested mentors who have a proud winning tradition and wouldn't mind adding another national championship trophy to their respective mantles. Alas may have more to prove though since his team is defending the Crown.

6-foot-8 Nigerian giant Samuel Ekwe, whip-quick pointguard John Paul Escobal, sophomore sensation Ogie Menor and resurgent veterans Yousif Al Jammal, Bam Gamalinda, Alex Angeles and Bong Maggay are enjoying playing basketball again now that they are winning. After a couple of seasons of barely .500 basketball they are now on top of the NCAA heap. Ekwe in particular has been a tower of power and can now rightfully be called “The Lion King”, as he has practically had his way in the lane, anchoring the San Beda defense. His defense has fueled the offense that features the long toms of Escobal and the wing work of Gamalinda and Menor.

Aaron Aban and Boyet Bautista are leading the charge of the Knights in what was supposed to be a difficult season. But with only one loss as of this writing, a battle of attrition/defensive struggle against San Beda, the boys from along the walls of Intramuros are going great guns. Aban and Bautista have shown none of the wear and tear many feared since they would be counted on to literally carry the team by themselves. With three of their starters from last year as well as two key bench players lost to graduation, no one gave the Knights much of a chance to defend their Crown. Now those oddsmakers and naysayers must be kicking themselves silly. Rey Guevarra, a success story from Letran's B Team, has been the surprise package for the Knights with his frontcourt versatility. Jay Jazul, Mike Realista and Dino Daa have also stepped up this season, providing support wherever needed, especially off the glass and on defense.

While everything seems headed to an inescapable conclusion for the Lions and Knights there are a couple of teams who just might spoil their plans: Philippine Christian University and Mapua. PCU is holding strong and unchallenged thus far in third place with only one more loss than San beda or Letran. Mapua may be just barely above .500 but they are playing solid basketball and have challenged the leaders in almost every game.

Gabby Espinas is the main man for the PCU Dolphins, and may be the only man capable of guarding the Lion King one-on-one. His numbers so far have him once agains at the forefront for the MVP plum, something many felt he should have done last season in spite of the now departed Jay Sagad of St Benilde. Jason Castro is still the best sidekick in the league, getting Espinas the ball in his comfort spots, pushing a breakneck pace on transition, playing solid on-ball defense, and even stroking it from the outside. Listzian Amparado and Beau Belga have also been giving good accounts of themselves, while Ian Garrido seems to have snapped out of his funk here in the second round.

“OK na sa'min na nandiyan lang kami sa third (place) ngayon. Baka makuha pa namin ang isa sa Top 2 (Final 4 slots) pati na ang twice-to-beat (incentive),” said a PCU official. [We're OK where we are right now at third place. We're still in a good position to get one of the two twice-to-beat slots for the Final 4.] This kind of confidence is not without some solid ground. PCU has been just as unstoppable as the two leaders, having in fact inflicted San Beda's one and only loss early in the first round. In that game Espinas did a splendid job matching up and defending against the Lion King while the support crew came well prepared. If they meet again in the Final 4, and PCU somehow wrests a twice-to-beat advantage, San Beda may yet wind up stalled in “ending 28 at 82.”

Mapua has also been giving a good account of itself inspite of being one of the smaller teams in the league. Their Opening Day victory over the mighty PCU Dolphins served notice to the rest of the NCAA that the Cardinals cannot be taken lightly. Joferson Gonzalez and Kelvin Dela Pena have been steady as an inside-outside scoring combination, using their athleticism and versatility to wreak havoc on opponents used to traditional matchups. Jerby Del Rosario, at a thin 6'3”, is probably the smallest starting center in the NCAA, but he has fought tooth and nail to hold down the interior for the Cardinals even against the taller timber of the league. Perhaps the best news for Coach Horacio Lim has been the emergence of gunner Sean Co. Co has led Mapua in scoring in at least four contests, using his handles and smarts to find the seams in opposing defenses to get his points. His additional firepower has relieved some of the scoring burdens of Gonzalez and Dela Pena.

If Mapua can hold on the fourth place they will give whoever they match up against in the Final 4 a fight they won't forget. With just the right combination of preparation and luck, the Cardinals may even wind up ambushing either the Lions or the Knights. And even if they don't, Mapua will definitely not be a light Final 4 assignment. Any team making the mistake of looking immediately to the Finals without preparing adequately for Mapua in a Final 4 matchup would be ripe for a monumental upset. “May tulog ang makakabangga ng Mapua sa Final 4 kung sakali. Kapag binuenas ang shooting ng Mapua malamang malungkot ang makatapat nila,” declared a veteran coach from another hardcore league. [Mapua may yet pull an upset in the Final 4. If their shooting clicks it will be a sad day for whoever they will face.]

So even as the two leaders are already relishing a Finals showdown, with visions of streamers, confetti and balloons dancing in their heads, they had better not make party reservations just yet. PCU and Mapua are poised to be spoil sports and party poopers in the biggest and oldest college basketball party in the country.