Search for national champion begins as PCCL launches new format

Featuring an improved format, the Philippine Collegiate Champions League has kicked off its search for the country’s one true champion in collegiate basketball.

The winner between the UAAP and the NCAA will face off in a best-of-three series while the regional champions from Luzon-NCR and Visayas Mindanao will meet in the other bracket to determine who secures the spots in the final.

The PCCL, now backed by Philippine Sports Commission, launched the new tournament dubbed the President’s Cup on Tuesday in a press conference.

Qualifying games have already begun in Visayas, North/Central Luzon, South Luzon/Bicol and NCR while matches for the Mindanao hopefuls are scheduled this weekend in Davao.

They will be pitted against in other, along with the winner in Cebu’s Cesafi, in the regional championships which will be a single round-robin battle.

Letran has advanced to the Luzon-NCR regionals where it will face Don Honorio Ventura Technical State University from North/Central Luzon and the winner of the South Luzon/Bicol leg.

Meanwhile, Colegio de Sta. Ana de Victorias will represent Visayas region in the Visayas-Mindanao regionals where it will clash against Cesafi champion University of Visayas and the victor in the Mindanao leg.

Games from the regional finals until the off-one championship round, which tentatively set third week of January, will be televised on ESPN5.

The provincial teams are hoping to get a shot at ending the domination of the UAAP and NCAA teams, where all the champions of the tournament have come from since it started in 2003.