Letran–San Beda rivalry

This rivalry is between Mendiola's San Beda and Muralla's Letran.

The rivalry started on October 28, 1950 when Letran and San Beda meet in the finals for the first time. Letran then was led by Lauro Mumar while San Beda was led by Carlos Loyzaga who eventually became legends of Philippine Basketball. During the second round of eliminations Letran is on the verge of sweeping the tournament to become eventual champions (the Final 4 format was not yet implemented), but San Beda spoiled it and beat them to arrange a championship showdown with the Knights. In the finals Letran got their sweet revenge as they beat San Beda to get their second title in the NCAA. The Letran team was called "Murder Inc." by the late Willie Hernandez because of their merciless brand of basketball, very unforgiving. After that historic match San Beda kept on winning many championships until the 70's while Letran ended the 70's with only six championships. During the 80's the NCAA has seen the downfall of the San Beda basketball program while Letran peaked and became a powerhouse team that will continue until the millennium decade.

With the exit of their fierce rivals, Ateneo for San Beda and La Salle  for Letran, some say the rivalry has died down because of their heaven and earth situation not until in 2006 when the Red Lions won their 12th championship after 28 years. During that same year San Beda won twice against Letran and denied the Knights to gain a twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four.

On 2007, San Beda and Letran played for the championship for the second time and was dubbed "The Dream Finals" because it featured two NCAA teams who have very rich basketball history and tradition and in this series, San Beda has a championship score to settle with Letran (to avenge their defeat in the finals 57 years ago). The Red Lions eventually swept the Knights, 2-0. San Beda's Rogemar Menor was named as the 2007 NCAA Finals MVP. Right now they are the most anticipated games in the NCAA which led to bringing the games at the Araneta Coliseum. They are also compared to UAAP's Ateneo-La Salle where in some columnists say it is the "icing in the cake" of today's NCAA.

Head-to-head record by sport

Seniors' Division

As of October 2010, the Letran Knights has more collegiate championships in the seniors' division compared to the San Beda Red Lions.^[1] Letran has 73 collegiate championships while San Beda has 68. Letran also leads the General Championships Tally with 8 titles with San Beda having only 1.

Letran leads San Beda 7-4 in different all-time sports categories.

• Basketball - Letran (16) - San Beda (16)
• Beach Volleyball - Letran (2) - San Beda (none)
• Chess - Letran (6) - San Beda (1)
• Football - San Beda (16) - Letran (7)
• Lawn Tennis - San Beda (14) - Letran (7)
• Softball - San Beda (3) - Letran (1)
• Swimming - San Beda (13) - Letran (2)
• Table Tennis - Letran (8) - San Beda (4)
• Taekwondo - Letran (5) - San Beda (2)
• Track and Field - Letran (5) - San Beda (none)
• Volleyball - Letran (14) - San Beda (none)

Both schools have yet to win collegiate championships in cheerleading.

General Championship

Letran leads the General Championship race with 9-1.^[1]

• Letran (9) - 1979-80, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2009–10
• San Beda (1) - 2010-11

Juniors' Division

As of October 2010, the San Beda Red Cubs leads the rivalry in the juniors' division with 87 championships while the Letran Squires has 61 championships. The Red Cubs also leads the general championships tally with 10 compared to the Squires' 7 general championships.

San Beda leads Letran 6-5 in different all-time sports categories.

• Basketball - San Beda (18) - Letran (10)
• Beach Volleyball - Letran (1) - San Beda (none)
• Chess - Letran (9) - San Beda (4)
• Football - San Beda (14) - Letran (5)
• Lawn Tennis - San Beda (12) - Letran (5)
• Softball - San Beda (2) - Letran (none)
• Swimming - San Beda (21) - Letran (2)
• Table Tennis - Letran (15) - San Beda (3)
• Taekwondo - Letran (3) - San Beda (1)
• Track and Field - San Beda (8) - Letran (6)
• Volleyball - Letran (5) - San Beda (4)

General Championship

San Beda leads the general championship race with 10-7.^[1]

• San Beda (10) - 1982, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997
• Letran (7) - 1983, 1986, 1987, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001

Basketball Statistics

Men's basketball results

Both teams are expected to meet at least 2 times per year. Since 2001, San Beda leads the rivalry 13-11.

Juniors' Basketball Results

Since 2007, San Beda leads the rivalry is 8-6 but if the game on July 21, 2010 favored San Beda, San Beda will still be the leader of the rivalry but with a better record of 9-5.

Final Four Rankings

For comparison, these are the rankings of these two teams since the Final Four format was introduced.

      Finished as the champion

See also

• National Collegiate Athletic Association (Philippines)
• Battle of Intramuros

References

External links

• NCAA historical results
• NCAA Season 85 Schedules and Results
• NCAA Season 86 Schedules and Results
• Google News Archive
• Manila Bulletin Online Newspaper Archive
• The LANCE - Letran College