PBA D-League kicks off Jan. 21
Café France and UAAP champion Far Eastern University lead a nine-team casts that will compete in the 2016 PBA D-League Aspirants Cup which starts on Jan. 21 at the Filoil Flying V Arena.
With six school-based teams in the mix, the season opening conference promises to be anybody’s ball game.
Beside Café France, the reigning Foundation Cup champion and Phoenix Petrolium-FEU, the other school-based teams are Jam Liner-University of the East, Banco de Oro-National University and AMA Online Education.
Also seeing action in the tournament are Caida-Tiles (formerly Kera Mix), Tanduay Light Rhum and Wang’s Basketball.
“With a lot of new players and new teams this season of the D-League should be very interesting and exciting,” said PBA Commissioner Chito Narvasa.
Now on its fifth season, the league kicks off with a double-header featuring Caida Tiles against Tanduay Light Rhum at 2 p.m and Banco de Oro-NU against Jam Liner-UP at 4 o’clock.
Action shifts at the Ynares Sport Arena on Jan. 25 with Cafe France, bannered by the core of NAASCU champion Centro Escolar University, taking on newcomer Mindanao Aguilas at 2 p.m., while Wang’s Basketball test the mettle of Phoenix Petroleum-UP, another newcomer, at 4 p.m.
AMA University makes its debut in the tournament against Caida Tiles at 2 p.m. on the next day also at the Pasig hop house.
The tournament is a single-round elimination, with all but one team advancing to the quarterfinals. Teams in the top four earn a twice-to-beat advantage in the next round.
All ties for the last quarters berth will be determined via the PBA quotient system.
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