After a long rest, the Green Archers will lock horns with the Arellano University Chiefs this Monday at The Arena in San Juan, in a battle of teams still in the hunt for their first win in the Fil-Oil Flying V Preseason Premier Cup.
The Green Archers last took the court last April 10 in a 79-70 loss at the hands of the UST Growling Tigers. The Chiefs, meanwhile, are coming off an 88-74 drubbing at the hands of the reigning NCAA titlists San Beda Red Lions.
The Archers will have to pile up as many victories as they can, including this assignment against the lowly Chiefs, to have a strong chance of making the quarterfinals, as their succeeding games will be against more formidable teams like the San Sebastian Stags and the Red Lions.
That’s not to say that the squad from Legarda can immediately be ticked-off as a big W for the Green-and-White Squad, as they have proven themselves to be capable of wielding the upset-axe after stunning the Stags during last year’s NCAA tournament.
Big men Jovet Mendoza and Norbert Torres, who are both coming off productive games against the Tigers, will try to carry the cudgels for the Archers, although it will be interesting to see mentor Dindo Pumaren shuffle his cards in search of a go-to-guy, and who among them will respond.
It will take a monumental collapse for the Archers to lose this game, as they have already routed a similar Arellano team a year ago, but throwing in a little caution wouldn’t hurt.