FilOil Preseason Final Four Preview: Who Reigns Supreme?
Last Friday, something happened for the first time in nine years. Not one, not two, but three NCAA teams booked a ticket to the semifinals of the FilOil EcoOil Preseason Cup.
The JRU Heavy Bombers fired the opening salvo when they staged a comeback win against the NU Bulldogs. Then, in an overtime thriller, the Letran Knights fended off the UST Growling Tigers. In the final match on this game day, the San Beda Red Lions withstood the challenge of the De La Salle Green Archers.
In one fell swoop, NCAA squads vanquished the defending UAAP champions and a pair of Season 88 Final Four teams. We all know why that’s significant.
There’s no use denying it: For years, there’s been discourse regarding the “better” league as far as basketball is concerned. And I’m not just talking about online forums and heated debates in comments sections. When a media outlet like Rappler is dissecting the idea that “the UAAP has overshadowed the NCAA in terms of popularity, glamour and level of competition,” you know it’s a major talking point.
So, here we stand: Three NCAA teams vying to become the new champion at the expense of the only school to win a FilOil three-peat. That school, by the way, happens to be a UAAP powerhouse. This is going to be fun.
Letran Knights vs. JRU Heavy Bombers
I’ve had it with all the “Chad Gammad, lover boy” talk. Let’s talk about Chad Gammad the hooper for a change.
The Fil-Canadian combo guard was on a heater last Friday, sinking seven 3-pointers and finishing with 27 points against UST. After averaging just 7.3 ppg on a 39.6% outside clip in NCAA Season 101, Gammad looks primed to take his game to the next level.
If he continues to flourish as an outside threat, opposing teams will think twice about crowding Titing Manalili. That three-guard lineup with Manalili, Gammad, and Jimboy Estrada (who scored 22 points on 8-for-16 FG shooting in the quarterfinals) is looking more and more like a tough cover.
On the defensive end, the Knights are loaded as well. Against a UST squad missing Collins Akowe and Gelo Crisostomo, Aaron Buensalida and George Diamante took full advantage in the paint, grabbing seven rebounds apiece. Kevin Santos, the Season 101 Mythical Five forward that I’m projecting as a second-round PBA draft pick, made his presence felt as well by denying free lanes to the basket.
Though Letran was well-equipped on both ends of the floor, they needed overtime to put down the Growling Tigers in a tightly contested, high octane affair. It was a different story with the JRU Heavy Bombers.
Locked in a slugfest where scoring was harder to get by, the Heavy Bombers bucked a subpar shooting performance and came up big in the fourth quarter to conquer the NU Bulldogs. It was a major statement delivered by a team that finished 6-7 in the Season 101 group stage—a squad, by the way, that hasn’t reached the NCAA Final Four since 2017.
Leading the way were prized recruits Jalen Garcia (17 points, two rebounds) and one-time NCAA champion Chris Hubilla (15 points, 50.0% FG shooting). With the Heavy Bombers down by seven points in the last four minutes of regulation, Garcia sank three triples to help JRU close the gap while Hubilla held his own against NU’s foreign student athlete Mo Diassana.
I know what you’re thinking, and it absolutely deserves to be highlighted. The Bulldogs had a 6-foot-10 FSA who posted 13 points and grabbed a game-high 17 boards. (Four more rebounds, in fact, than the entire JRU starting lineup combined.) The Heavy Bombers, on the other hand, fielded no FSA in adherence to the roster restrictions of their mother league. In the end, the FSA-less team came out on top. Go figure.
There were two other high-profile scorers on the JRU side who had an off night against NU. With a berth in the FilOil finals on the line, I think it’s safe to say that Sean Salvador and Lawrence Mangubat won’t combine for eight points on 1-for-16 shooting in their next game. Right?
Prediction: Hubilla will likely be called upon to stick to Manalili like epoxy. In the end, though, Letran will find more ways to generate offense while limiting JRU’s own production. Points off turnovers will be something to look out for in this semifinal matchup. The Knights are winning this one, folks.
UP Fighting Maroons vs. San Beda Red Lions
Here’s a thought exercise to perk up your day: Describe the relationship between UP and San Beda in a word or two. Friendly? Transactional? Spiritual brethren?
Sports-wise, these two schools have been interacting since 1924, when they were founding members of the NCAA. Though UP left the NCAA in the 1930s, its connection to San Beda would resurface in subsequent decades.
Remember the Fighting Maroons’ 1986 championship core of Benjie Paras, Ronnie Magsanoc, and Eric Altamirano? They were Red Cubs in high school, but when San Beda took a leave of absence from the NCAA in the early 80s, this trio had to find another platform for their basketball greatness in the seniors division. Their school of choice was in Diliman, Quezon City.
This weekend, we’ll see that UP-San Beda connection on the hardcourt once again. The question is, how many players who passed through the UP-San Beda transfer portal, will suit up in this semifinal matchup?
On the UP side, there’s James Payosing, who won NCAA Finals MVP honors when the Red Lions won a chip in Season 99. In many ways, Payosing embodies the Fighting Maroons’ identity this season: defensive versatility, well-timed off ball movement, and a willingness to play an up tempo style.
Payosing, who didn’t see minutes when UP fended off Mapua in the quarterfinals, also doesn’t mind dishing out physicality. That’s something the Red Lions will have to reciprocate in this matchup, especially in the shaded lane. Gani Stevens, Sean Alter, and the FSA of choice (whether it’s Francis Nnoruka or Dieonte Miles) won’t be gentle giants in the paint.
In the Red Lions’ camp, there’s a second-generation gunner by the name of RC Calimag. After winning a championship with UP in 2022, Calimag sharpened his tools under coach Yuri Escueta’s system in Mendiola, adding a second college title to his resume when San Beda swept Letran in the Finals last December. With Nygel Gonzales out for Season 102, Calimag will have to sustain the firepower of San Beda’s backcourt.
Calimag won’t have to do it alone, though. The Red Lions’ backcourt is stacked, with Jimmy Reyes poised for a stellar Year 2 and a pair of prized rookies (Daniel Marcelo and Dom Sarigumba, the Fil-Am guard who had 10 points, six rebounds, and seven assists against La Salle) bringing the heat as well.
As for the frontcourt, there’s Aldous Torculas, an athletic glue guy who tasted championship gold with the Diliman boys in UAAP Season 87. Torculas joins a Swiss Army knife of a forward rotation with Jomel Puno, Zed Etulle, and Lawrence Hawkins. (Plus, are we going to have a sighting of two-time collegiate champion Bismarck Lina, who departed UP in 2023 just like Calimag?
Prediction: Yuri ball is always fun to watch, but ever since getting eliminated by the NU Bulldogs in the Asiabasket quarterfinals, the Fighting Maroons have operated on a different level of sharpness. And, quite frankly, they’ve been throwing their weight around. With offensive boards and second chance points likely in their favor, UP takes the dub in this matchup.
And Your 2026 FilOil Cup Champs Are…
Did you have Rey Remogat vs. Titing Manalili on your bingo card this year? We may very well see this explosive head-to-head of court generals in this year’s FilOil EcoOil Preseason Cup finals. UP’s defensive coverage of Manalili will be crucial in this game, as the Knights’ main man will happily drive and dish all game long. Should the Maroons’ defenders overhelp, shooters like Estrada and Gammad will make them pay.
If we do get UP vs. Letran, watch out for the forward matchups as well. Diamante and Santos are as physical as they come, which makes me want to see how crafty Veejay Pre and Jacob Bayla can get with their offense.
The difference maker, then, could be the bigs down low. With Stevens eagerly crashing the boards and Alter becoming more patient with his execution of post moves, the Letran bigs will have their hands full. Nnoruka will likely get the FSA minutes in this finals showdown, and his ability to put the ball on the floor is an added dimension to UP’s frontcourt production.
From the looks of it, a UP-Letran championship game will be a high-scoring affair. In this year’s FilOil tournament, the Knights are no. 4 in fastbreak points while the Maroons are not far behind at no. 6. On top of that, Letran is no. 2 in outside shooting, so expect the scoreboard to light up at a blistering pace.
Ultimately, the Maroons’ dominance on the glass (they’re the second-best rebounding team this FilOil season) and their productivity in the paint will be the decisive factor. The semifinal appearance of no less than three NCAA teams is impressive—an indication that even more exciting times are in store for Season 102—but the momentum of this UP squad’s growth makes them the favorites to once again win the FilOil EcoOil Preseason Cup.
