NCAA Launches Season 101 with Innovative Men’s Basketball Format

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) officially launched its 101st men’s basketball season on September 22, 2025, unveiling a revamped tournament format designed to increase competitiveness and fan engagement. The event took place at Novotel Manila in Quezon City, featuring coaches from all 10 participating schools.

Departing from the traditional double round-robin elimination, the NCAA Management Committee announced a group-stage system that splits the teams into two pools. Teams within these groups will compete twice against intra-group rivals and once against teams from the other pool, totaling 13 elimination games each.

San Beda coach Yuri Escueta praised the format, emphasizing its inclusivity and the improved caliber of teams this season, stating, "The beauty of the new format is that it gives everyone a chance. You can also see in the preseason that all teams have become stronger."

The updated structure advances the top three teams from each group automatically to the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, the remaining four teams will vie for the final two quarterfinal berths. The quarterfinals will feature crossover knockout matches, where the top two seeds per group hold a twice-to-beat advantage.

Following the quarterfinals, the Final Four will proceed with best-of-three semifinal series, culminating in the championship round.

Group compositions for Season 101 are as follows:

• Group A: Defending champions Mapua University, Lyceum of the Philippines University, University of Perpetual Help, San Sebastian College-Recoletos, Arellano University
• Group B: San Beda University, College of Saint Benilde, Colegio de San Juan de Letran, Jose Rizal University, Emilio Aguinaldo College

The league anticipates that this new format will intensify competition and increase excitement for fans, honoring more than a century of collegiate basketball tradition as the season officially tips off on October 1 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.