CARLO ANOLIN

College of St. Benilde and defending champion Letran begin their best-of-three Finals showdown in the NCAA Season 98 men’s basketball tournament on Sunday, Dec. 4, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

Tipoff is set at 3 p.m. as the Blazers take pride in making their first championship appearance in two decades, led by the core lineup in Most Valuable Player frontrunner Will Gozum, Miggy Corteza, and Migs Oczon, among others.

CSB’S campaign in Season 98 has been its most ambitious yet, topping the elimination round before shooting down San Beda in the semifinals.

Letran, for its part, hopes to complete its three-peat title run this time with the leadership of Fran Yu and the reliable supporting cast in Louie Sangalang, Brent Paraiso, King Caralipio, to name a few.

But this lineup of the Knights has now proven that they were a caliber of their own despite the departure of former MVP Rhenz Abando, who is now playing in the Korean Basketball League.

Letran may have started slow in the elimination round but the defending champion spiced things up in the second half of the tournament and eventually reached the second seed.

The Knights then outlasted the Lyceum Pirates in the semifinals to arrange a Finals showdown against the Blazers.

Game 2 is set on Dec. 11 at the same venue while a decider Game 3, if necessary, is slated on Dec. 18 at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.