THE COUNTRY’S top collegiate teams slug it out before the bigger tournaments ahead as the 9th Filoil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup gets going this Saturday.
Defending champion La Salle faces a tough climb to a third title, leading a formidable 18-team field at Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.
The Archers will not only contend with the strongest teams based in Manila, but also those from Cebu.
Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (CESAFI) squads University of San Jose Recoletos and Southwestern U are joining the tournament, along with National Athletic Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (NAASCU) champion Centro Escolar U.
La Salle is in Group B along with CEU, Lyceum, Mapua, San Beda, UP, UE, University of Santo Tomas and SWU.
Group A is made up of Adamson, Emilio Aguinaldo College, Far Eastern U, Jose Rizal U, Letran, National U, Perpetual Help, St. Benilde and USJR.
The juniors’ division will feature reigning UAAP champion Ateneo, De La Salle Zobel, JRU, Letran and San Beda in Group A while Adamson, FEU-FERN, LSGH, Mapua, and National U make up Group B. Cedelf P. Tupas