Luzon, Big City teams target Sweet 16 spots

MANILA, Philippines - Luzon regional champions and Metro Manila teams, which barely missed the semifinals in their respective mother leagues, are out to vie for coveted spots in the 2010 Philippine Collegiate Champions League (PCCL) Sweet 16 as the Luzon-Metro Manila Zonals start today at the Arellano Gym in Legarda.

North-Central Luzon regional champion University of Baguio takes on St. Francis in the curtain-raiser at 9 a.m., while Lyceum of the Philippines University squares off against Computer Communications Development Institute at 10:30 a.m.

The afternoon games feature NAASCU champion University of Manila facing NCAA-South champion University of Perpetual Help Laguna at 2:30 p.m. and San Beda College Alabang against Sta. Monica in the last game at 4 p.m.

UAAP and NCAA teams – National University, University of the East, Letran, and Arellano University that won’t see action today – complete the 12-squad Luzon-Metro Manila Zonals.

The dozen squads are divided into four groups, with the top squad from each group after the one-round-robin elimination earning a spot in the Round of 16 of the PCCL, sponsored by PLDT-SMART.

UAAP squads Ateneo de Manila University, Far Eastern University, De la Salle University, and Adamson University; NCAA teams San Beda College, San Sebastian College, Jose Rizal University, and Mapua Institute of Technology; and CESAFI teams University of Cebu and University of Visayas are already secured of Sweet 16 berths.

Visit www.collegiatechampionsleague.net for more details about the PCCL games.