On sabbatical leave

I am away for my annual sabbatical leave. My commentaries on issues of the day will resume on the 11th of June, 2010.

2010 Philippine Collegiate Championship Games

The 2010 Philippine Collegiate Championship games, a nationwide multi-level search for the best collegiate teams in the country, is the culminating event of the collegiate basketball season for the year.

The annual search starts with the “mother leagues” competitions, and the results will determine the teams that will advance to the next levels: the regional championships, the zonal qualifying games, and the Sweet 16 finals.

The last phase of the search for the best collegiate basketball teams is the “Sweet 16” Finals where the top 16 teams compete in knock out games (losers go home). The last standing team is crowned as the National Collegiate Champion.

Journey to the Sweet 16 Finals

The top four teams in the UAAP and NCAA are automatically seeded to the Sweet 16 Finals, and they are joined by the top two teams from CESAFI (Cebu City’s major collegiate league).

The other six members of this elite group will come from the top performers in the zonal qualifying games. The zonal competitions involve 16 teams composed of the following: a) four regional champions from North-Central Luzon, South Luzon-Bicol, Visayas (excluding Cebu) and Mindanao; b) six champions from the following Metro Manila leagues: NCAA-South, UCAA, UCLAAI, ISAA, NAASCU and MMC; c) four from UAAP & NCAA (fifth and sixth placers); and d) two from CESAFI (third and fourth placers).

Road to the top

The games in the Sweet 16 Finals are “knock out affairs” with the group winners competing in a “best of three” games for the national title.

The Sweet 16 teams are divided into two main groups divided in two brackets. In Group X, teams belonging to bracket 1 are: the UAAP champion, the Luzon-MM fourth ranked zonal qualifier, the fourth NCAA winner and the Luzon-MM first ranked zonal qualifier. For bracket 2, the participating teams are: the CESAFI champion, the VisMin second place zonal qualifier, the CESAFI runner-up, and the VisMin first ranked zonal qualifier.

In Group Y, those belonging to bracket 1 are: the NCAA champion, the Luzon-MM third ranked zonal qualifier, the UAAP fourth placer, and the Luzon-MM second ranked zonal qualifier. In bracket 2 are: the UAAP runner-up, the NCAA third plaer, the NCAA runner-up, and the UAAP third placer. 

Watch this space for updates on the 2010 Philippine Collegiate Championship Games or visit www.CollegiateChampionsLeague.net.

Join PCCL pre-season contest

Collegiate basketball fans are invited to visit the official website of the Champions League, www.CollegiateChampionsLeague.net, to join for free the latest contest launched in connection with the ongoing FilOil Flying V Pre-Season tournament where 17 UAAP and NCAA teams are participating. Surprise gifts will be awarded to those who can guess the top four teams at the end of the pre-season tournament. 

Should you wish to share any insights, write me at Link Edge, 25th Floor, 139 Corporate Center, Valero Street, Salcedo Village, 1227 Makati City. Or e-mail me at [email protected]. For a compilation of previous articles, visit www.BizlinksPhilippines.net.