LAST year’s first runner-up Baguio College of Technology Atoms opens their title hunt in the Baguio–Benguet Educational Athletic League against season host University of the Philippines–Baguio Fighting Maroons.
The Atoms and the Fighting Maroons will clash on October 20 at the UC Gym at 1 p.m., a week before the 31st season of the largest collegiate league in Northern Luzon formally opens with Pilipinas basketball and NLEX Road Warriors head coach Yeng Guiao serving as guest of honor and speaker.
Two time champion Cordillera Career Development College Admirals meanwhile starts their bid against Baguio Central University Eagles also on the 20th.
Defending champion University of the Cordilleras Jaguars will have its hands full when it opens its title retention bid against a rejuvenated Benguet State University Wildcats on October 21 while Bbeal’s winningest basketball squad University of Baguio Cardinals starts their redemption against the Fighting Maroons also at the UC gym after the Saint Louis University Navigators–Philippine Military Academy Cavaliers match–up.
Game time starts at 11 a.m.
Women’s defending champion UB Lady Cardinals meanwhile seeks for another title when it open its campaign on the 26th against the Lady Atoms at the UB gym which starts at 1 p.m.
UC, together with SLU, BSU and PMA will comprise Bracket A while bunched in Bracket B is BCT, UB, CCDC, BCU, and host UP.
In the women’s side, defending champion UB will lead Bracket A and will go up against SLU, BCT, ad BSU while teams in bracket B are UC, PMA, Pines City Colleges, and Kings College of the Philippines.
Basketball commissioner Djalma Arnedo said each team will play all competing schools in their brackets with the top three teams after the eliminations advancing to the second round and will play all the other squads in the other bracket.
“The top four teams after the eliminations and the crossover, will have final four format wherein the top two teams gets a twice to beat advantage,” he said.
The National Amateur Basketball Referees Organization (Nabro) was selected to man all the games of the basketball competition.
And in a bid to make the basketball tournament more exciting, BBEAL is set to implement the new rules adopted by Fiba which took effect October 1.
Arnedo added Bbeal will be the first collegiate league to adopt the new system.
According to Fiba, the modifications will help make the game more spectacular, free-flowing and fluid.
Fiba, in its website added these changes come after Fiba's Rules Advisory Group (RAG) -- which consists of experts from Fiba, the NBA and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) -- analyzed 32 proposals and made recommendations to FIBA's Technical Commission at its meeting on June 6 to 7. (Roderick Osis)