THE SAN BEDA Red Lions is set to face tough competition as the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) officially rolled out its revamped format for the Season 101 basketball tournament on August 29.
The NCAA’s fresh structure, designed to “invigorate the league’s competitive spirit,” places the San Beda Red Lions in the so-called “pool of death” alongside perennial basketball powerhouses such as the Colegio de San Juan de Letran and De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde.
For the first time in its storied history, the NCAA will split its 10-member schools into two groups of five.
According to the Management Committee Chairman, Melchor Divina of Mapúa University (MU), the goal is to introduce a fresh approach inspired by international basketball formats. “Gagawa kami ng kakaibang tournament format na pinaghalo yung NBA at US NCAA,” he said.
“Para exciting at ‘di porket fifth place ka wala ka nang chance. Nilagyan lang namin ng additional excitement lang. Kahit nasa ilalim ka may chance ka pa rin,” he added.
Group A consists of Mapúa University Cardinals, Lyceum of the Philippines University (LPU) Pirates, University of Perpetual System Help Dalta (UPHSD) Altas, San Sebastian College-Recolletos (SCC-R) Golden Stags, and Arellano University (AU) Chiefs.
Meanwhile, Jose Rizal University and Emilio Aguinaldo College round out the “pool of death” Group B.
Under the new format, each team will play double round-robin games within its group, with the top three teams from each group advancing automatically to the quarterfinals. The fourth- and fifth-seeded teams will battle in a play-in round for the last spot. In the quarterfinals, matchups will occur within each group: the top seed faces the play-in winner, while the second and third seeds compete against each other. Winners advance to the semifinals, vying for the title of Division Champion.
The season culminates with a best-of-three finals between the two division champions, while the semifinal losers face off in a one-game playoff for third place. The Juniors Basketball Tournament will mirror this same format and will be held in the first semester of the school year.
NCAA Season 101 officially opens on October 1, 2025, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, marking a bold new chapter for the historic league as it embraces a century of basketball excellence with renewed vigor.