After 16 days of grueling competition, only eight teams remain in the 2016 FilOil Flying V Preseason Premier Cup.
Collegiate titans De La Salle University, National University; defending Premier Cup champions San Beda College; Arellano University; defending UAAP champions Far Eastern University; University of Perpetual Help System DALTA; Adamson University; and the Ateneo de Manila University survived to advance to the quarterfinals of the tournament’s tenth rendition.
Headlining the four match-ups is a tilt that pits the unbeaten Green Archers against the Tamaraws, the same team that ended their UAAP season a year ago, at 5:00pm
The Far Eastern University have gone through a major overhaul in the summer as they lost six seniors to graduation. Moreover, big man Raymar Jose has yet to play the Morayta cagers after serving national duty. Even with these obstacles, the defending UAAP champions have strung together three straight wins to enter the next round of competition.
For FEU head coach Nash Racela, facing La Salle this early is a good test for them. “Sabi nga ni Coach Tab, they are setting the bar. What excited me about this win against EAC is the possibility of facing La Salle,“ Racela shared after clinching a QF spot. “Gusto ko maramdaman nila kaagad yung La Salle because a lot of people talk about them, how strong and how tough they are. Minsan kasi malalaman mo lang talaga kung gaano kalabas ang kalaban mo when you play them.”
“I personally wanted to win this one to get to play La Salle.”
Even if the team is pegged to win it all this year, first-year La Salle head coach Aldin Ayo believes that FEU are still the gauge. “Parang measuring stick na namin ito para ma-gauge kung nasaan na kami,” Ayo said. “Sila yung defending UAAP champions kaya dito namin malalaman kung nasaan na kami.”
Another intriguing match-up in the quarterfinals is the battle between two NCAA rivals. Defending Premier Cup champions San Beda are pencilled in to face the Arellano Chiefs, the only team to have swept the Red Lions in the elimination round in NCAA Season 91.
The Chiefs fell to the third seed after a heartbreaking loss against the Bulldogs during the last day of elimination round in Jio Jalalon’s return game. On the other hand, the Red Lions only dropped one game in the group of death.
SBC head coach Jamike Jarin remains wary about the hungry Arellano squad. “I haven’t really seen much of Arellano but Arellano is the most explosive team right now,” Jarin said about the match-up that is scheduled to happen at 3:15pm. “They have the best point guard [Jalalon] and the best backup [Kent Salado]. They are a veteran team and we have our hands full.”
Two UAAP teams also face each other in the 1:30pm game, as the top-seeded Bulldogs face the Soaring Falcons.
“They love to press and, alam niyo naman, almost all of the teams in the UAAP are pressing teams,” said NU head coach Eric Altamirano about facing the Pumaren-mentored squad. “This is going to be a good match-up for us. Ang importante lang is we learn from our games and we do what we need to do.”
For Franz Pumaren, he admitted that he was surprised to have gotten this far in the tournament. “Surprising, that we made the quarterfinals. We started from scratch when I went here. Hopefully, this is a springboard for us,” Pumaren shared.
In the first game of the day, the young Blue Eagles squad is set to face the surprising Altas, led by the inside-outside combination of Bright Akhuetie and Gab Dagangon.
All games will be played at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.
