Wildcats favorites in PCCL Visayas

MANILA, Philippines - University of Iloilo Wildcats, the defending Visayas region and Iloilo collegiate league champion, looms as the favorites as the Visayas regional championship kicks off the four-day collegiate basketball festival starting today at the Ormoc Astrodome in Ormoc City.

City government and sports officials headed by Mayor Eric Codilla of Ormoc City, Councilor Ruben Capahi, chairman, city sports council, and Roger Lagarde, OCSSO (collegiate league of Ormoc) president, are hosting the biggest gathering of top collegiate teams in recent years.

“The event will give local fans the rare opportunity to see champion teams from Manila and other provinces compete for pride and glory of their respective schools,” said Codilla.

Competing with the Wildcats for a seat in the Sweet 16 Finals are the ACSAT Lightnings (champion, Negros Oriental), West Negros University (champion, Negros Occidental) and AMA Computer Learning Center Titans (Leyte champion).

The winner of the Visayas regional will face the CESAFI runner-up, SWU Cobras, on Nov. 29 for a place in the Final Four. The other game is a knock-out affair between the CESAFI champion UC Webmasters and Mindanao champion STI Olympians.

Nov. 30 is the climax of the festival as four teams compete for two remaining seats in the Final Four. Two visiting teams which survived the tough Luzon-Metro Manila step-ladder knock-out games – San Sebastian College-Recoletos Golden Stags and Letran Knights – collide in the first game for the Luzon-Metro Manila bracket championship and a seat in the Final Four.

The main game will feature the two surviving teams from Southern Islands, winners of the Nov. 29 games, in a battle for the last seat in the Final Four.

The Luzon-Metro Manila bracket champion and the overall champion of Southern Islands will join UAAP champion Ateneo Blue Eagles and NCAA champion San Beda Red Lions in the Final Four round robin Dec. 5 at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

The Final Four Championship round robin is scheduled Dec. 5 at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan. The games of the Final Four are covered by ABS-CBN Sports and will be aired live over Studio 23.

The PCCL National Collegiate Championship is supported by SMART, M. V. Pangilinan, Molten Balls, Filoil Flying V and SM Ticketing.