Mayor Tom Osmeña cagefest to kick off October 1

Bigtime basketball action will storm back the Queen City of the South with the staging of the Mayor Tommy Osmeña Cup 2005 National Invitational Basketball Tournament set from October 1 to 6 at the Cebu Coliseum.

A total of eight teams divided into two brackets will vie for supremacy in this six-day cagefest.

The multi-titled M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala Jewelers lead the cast of competitors in Bracket A that also include National Basketball Conference defending champion Tribu Sugbu, Manila Bacchus Harbor Centre and LIMA Construction.

Seeing action in Bracket B are NBC's Mantawi Sparkling Knights and Laguna-Spring Cooking Oil, Quezon Coco Huskers, and the Davao City-based Montaña Pawnshop.

The tournament follows a single round robin elimination format, with the top two teams in each bracket advancing into the crossover semifinals.

The winners will then set up a sudden-death championship match, while the losers will clash for third place.