Final 4 pits SSC vs JRU, St. Benilde against PCU

It will be San Sebastian against Jose Rizal and St. Benilde against Philippine Christian University in the Final Four of the 78th NCAA men’s basketball tournament starting tomorrow at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

Jose Rizal and PCU wound up tied for third and fourth spots after the elimination round with 9-5 records while defending champion San Sebastian and 2000 winner St. Benilde took the top two berths — and the twice-to-beat advantage — with 11-3 and 10-4 slates.

The final pairings were determined only last Saturday after the members of the NCAA management committee met the day after the elims came to a close and settled the confusion on how to break the tie between Jose Rizal and PCU.

Jose Rizal had insisted that the league use the FIBA quotient system to break the tie. Using the FIBA rule would have led to a semis matchup between the Heavy Bombers and the Blazers.

But league officials decided otherwise, saying the league must stand on its own and therefore used the winner-over-the-other rule. PCU beat Jose Rizal in the first round, 78-71, before the latter bounced back in the second round, 93-90. — Abac Cordero