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| Kevin Racal is expected to lead Letran. Dennis Acosta (file photo) |
By Ivan Saldajeno
AFTER three seeding playoffs, we are now at the NCAA Final Four stage. First up, the 2 vs. 3 series between Letran and Mapua.
History: Before the Lyceum Pirates came into the league in 2011, both the Knights and the Cardinals, two of the remnants from the NCAA's first expansion era, have been battling it out for the right to conquer Intramuros. However, it was quite a long time ago when both the Knights and the Cards last met in an NCAA playoff proper series since the latter slowly became the league's whipping boys.
What Now: It seems like Mapua is back! With the return of Josan Nimes and the arrival of Allwell Oraeme and Darell Menina, the Cardinals bucked a slow start (and a wild regular season finale) to return to the semifinals! And up next for them are the Knights, who had a hot start. In fact, it's a battle between the best team in the first round and the best team in the second round. If the old rules were used, this would have been the finals series. Still, expect a wild encounter as they split their season series.
Key Match-Up: Kevin Racal vs. Josan Nimes-Two PBA first round draft picks are expected to go all out in this playoff encounter. Racal and Nimes returned from their respective injuries to become their respective teams' leaders.
Follow the writer on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
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