Abueva, Daniel top contenders for NCAA MVP award

The race for the NCAA men's basketball tournament MVP is seen as an ultimate clash between "The Beast" and "Superman."

San Sebastian's Calvin Abueva and San Beda's Sudan Daniel emerged as the top leaders for the coveted individual award in the league’s 86th season based on first round Statistical Points.

Abueva, who played a key role in the Stags' title conquest last season, compiled an average of 55.6 points while Daniel was a close second with 54.6.

Both players were instrumental in leading their respective squads in occupying the top two posts with over a month left in the 16-game elimination schedule of the country's oldest collegiate league.

A distant third is Daniel's teammate Borgie Hermida (43.9) while another Bedan, Dave Marcelo, took fourth (42.6). The Stags' Ronald Pascual finished fifth with 39.4 points.

Jose Rizal University's Marvin Hayes (38.5), Emilio Aguinaldo College's Claude Cubo (38.1), San Beda's Jake Pascual (37. and Garvo Lanete (37.3), and Arellano's Andrian Celada (37.1) round out the Top 10.

Abueva, dubbed "The Beast" for his hustle and aggressiveness in the paint, led the league in rebounds after the first round with an average of 12.0 per game while came up in second behind St. Benilde rookie Carlo Lastimosa in points with 16.0 per outing.

Abueva was also the top grabber of offensive rebounds with 5.3 per game.

For his part, Daniel, known as "Superman" for his thunderous dunks and blocking ability, averaged just 9.8 points in the first round but had 11.3 rebounds and a league-leading 3.8 blocks per game.

He earlier registered a triple-double against winless Perpetual Help with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 shot blocks on July 28.

San Beda currently leads the league with a perfect 10-0 slate while San Sebastian is in second with a 9-1 record. – JVP, GMANews.TV