ABS-CBN
NCAA: Mapua, Lyceum to open Season 101 in new hoops format
The NCAA will implement a new two-group format for its 101st Season, which begins on October 1, a change welcomed by Mapua star and reigning Finals MVP Clint Escamis.
Escamis believes the new format will increase fan engagement and boost school spirit throughout the season, requiring teams to develop new strategies.
Mapua, the defending champion, is placed in Group A alongside Lyceum, Perpetual Help, San Sebastian, and Arellano.
Group B includes Final Four teams San Beda and College of St. Benilde, along with Letran, Jose Rizal University, and Emilio Aguinaldo College.
The season will open at the Araneta Coliseum with a match between the Cardinals and the Pirates at 2:30 p.m., following the 11:00 a.m. opening ceremonies.
This will be followed by a Final Four rematch between the Red Lions and the Blazers at 5:00 p.m.
Under the new format, each team will play its group counterparts twice and teams from the other group once, with the top three from each group advancing directly to the quarterfinals.
The fourth and fifth seeds of each group will then battle for the last two quarterfinal tickets.
Topics in this story
Explore more stories about these topics.
🤖
This story was generated by AI to help you understand the key points. For more detailed coverage, please see the news articles from trusted media outlets below.
News Sources
See how different news organizations are covering this story. Below are the original articles from various Philippine news sources that contributed to this summary.
