AFTER a bad start that put coach Gary Cortes in an awkward spot, defending champion University of the Visayas Green Lancers will gun for their third straight win when they face the struggling Southwestern University Cobras in the main game of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. basketball tournamentat the Cebu Coliseum today.
Cortes quipped during the launch of the baskeball season that if the other teams would play badly, they will surely win their third straight title.
“Kung mag-binulay-ug sila, grand slam gyud mi,” he said.
But two games in, it was UV that was stuck at the bottom, opening with a surprising 89-73 loss to the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Jaguars before losing a close one to the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) Panthers, 80-81. It was USPF’s first win over UV in the Cesafi and it also marked the first time UV lost its first two games.
However, UV finally showed their championship form with 98-69 rout over the hapless Cebu Institute of Technology-University and outlasted the University of San Carlos Warriors, 73-69, last Tuesday to improve to 2-2.
Against the Cobras of Mike Reyes, UV is slightly favored to win as SWU is on a slump of its own. After routing the Wildcats, 87-53, the Cobras found themselves on the wrong end of a 105-58 rout against the Jaguars.
Meanwhiloe, in the first game, the Univresity of Cebu will gun for its fourth straight win against CIT-U, which has lost all four games so far. (ESL of SuperBalita)