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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Basketball devider New format marks start of NCAA 101

New format marks start of NCAA 101

Published Sep 2, 2025 01:40 pm

At A Glance

  • Under the new format which was announced last Friday, Aug. 29, the 10 members school were divided into two groups with defending champion Mapua pooled with Lyceum, Arellano, Perpetual Help, and San Sebastian in Group A.
Clint Escamis and Mapua get what people deemed as an easier path as NCAA unveils new format (NCAA photo)
Clint Escamis and Mapua get what people deemed as an easier path as NCAA unveils new format (NCAA photo)
The start of a new century for NCAA is marked by a twist.
Powerhouse teams were bunched in one group while it is an open race on the other as the league unveiled a new format for its Season 101 basketball tournament.
Under the new format which was announced last Friday, Aug. 29, the 10 member-schools were divided into two groups with defending champion Mapua pooled with Lyceum, Arellano, Perpetual Help, and San Sebastian in Group A.
The second group, meanwhile, has title-contenders College of St. Benilde and San Beda, dark horses Letran and EAC, and the rebuilding JRU.
According to the GMA Sports report, the groupings were determined via a draw that was supervised by representatives from the member-schools. The Top 4 teams from last season were placed separately in the groups.
Champion Mapua and fourth seed Lyceum were placed in Group A while last season's bridesmaid CSB and third placer San Beda were put in Group B. The rest of the groupings were determined by the draw.
The result, however, still drew questions from fans, especially, with the top dogs in the Blazers, the Knights, the Red Lions and the Generals all set to figure in a royal rumble in the eliminations.
The Cardinals, on the other hand, save for the Pirates who finished in the Top 4 last season, had a relatively easier path considering the new format of the preliminary stage, some pundits believe.
Under the new format, teams will play their groupmates twice while squads from the other groups once, giving the teams 13 games each in the preliminary round.
The Top 3 teams from each group qualify to the quarterfinals while the remaining two teams will be battling in a play-in for the last two spots in the playoffs.
The eight teams will then figure in a crossover quarterfinals with the top two seeds from each group holding onto a twice-to-beat advantage against their lower seeded rivals.
The semifinals will then be a best-of-three affair and the Finals in the traditional race-to-two series.
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