Manila qualifying unfolds

Four Metro Manila teams start their long quest in the regional qualifier of the Philippine Collegiate Champions League (PCCL) Tuesday at Technological Institute of the Philippines gym.

Philippine College of Criminology and St. Clare College collide in the 2 p.m. kickoff of the Metro Manila qualifying games, where the round-robin winner will advance to the Luzon-Metro Manila stepladder round.

Diliman College, the newly crowned National Collegiate Basketball League (NCBL) champion, tangles with Inter-Scholastic Athletic Association (Isaa) titlist Philippine Merchant Marine School in the other match at 4.

The Saints, runner-up to National Athletic Association of Schools, College and Universities (Naascu) champion Centro Escolar U, hope to pull off an upset over the PCCr Panthers, the Universities and Colleges of Luzon Athletic Association (Uclaa) titleholders.

CEU already earned an outright berth in the Luzon-NCR regional games along with UAAP semifinalists Ateneo and La Salle and NCAA’s Jose Rizal University and Perpetual Help.

The remaining slots will be disputed by top varsity squads from North-Central Luzon and South Luzon-Bicol in qualifiers starting Nov. 3.

The winner of the Luzon-Metro Manila stage will clinch the last berth to the Elite Eight, where UAAP king National University and runner-up Far Eastern U, five-time NCAA champ San Beda and runner-up Arellano, Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) titlist Southwestern U and University of San Carlos, and Visayas-Mindanao winner University of Visayas have already qualified.  Jasmine W. Payo