The men's tournament was held in September 2022, just over three months after Season 97 ended. The juniors' tournament began in February 2023, the first tournament since Season 95, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Letran Knights and Squires won their respective tournaments, winning the first double championship for Letran since 1983.[1]
In the men's tournament, the Benilde Blazers finished first, and defeated the #4 seed San Beda Red Lions in the semifinals. Letran, which finished second, also defeated #3 seed Lyceum Pirates on the other semifinal. Letran defeated Benilde in three games to win their third consecutive title.
In the juniors' tournament, the Letran Squires finished first, with LSGH, Malayan, San Beda and San Sebastian finishing tied from second to fifth. After a series of playoff games, Letran defeated #4 seed Malayan Red Robins, while #2 San Beda Red Cubs lost all of its semifinal games against #3 seed LSGH Greenies. Letran defeated LSGH in two games in the Finals, to win their first title since 2001.
Tournament format
After COVID restrictions limited the elimination round to a single round-robin with the introduction of a play-in tournament in the previous season, Season 98 returned to a double round-robin eliminations for the men's tournament.[2]
Former UAAP basketball commissioner Tonichi Pujante is this season's commissioner.[3]
Just like in Season 97, game days are on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.[4]
For the juniors' tournament, it is a single round-robin tournament.[5]
For the juniors' tournament, the Emilio Aguinaldo College Gym in Manila hosted the elimination round,[5] except for the final gameday, which was held at the nearby San Andres Sports Complex,[20] which then hosted all of the playoff games.
Each team can have up to 15 players on their roster, with an additional up to three players in the injured reserve list.[21]
The ban of foreign student-athletes first applied in Season 96 (2020) is still in effect, requiring all players to be Filipinos.[22]
Men's tournament
The traditional champion vs. season host opening game on September 10 was scrapped when four Letran Knights players contracted COVID-19; replacing that match-up is season hosts EAC going up against the Arellano Chiefs; the host vs. champion game will instead be the final game of the first round.[3] (Subsequent postponements have made this not the final game of the first round.)
^NCAA Management Committee reversed Mapúa's win over San Beda in their first round game, ruling it as a 20–0 forfeit win for San Beda after Mapúa fielded an ineligible player in Gab Gamboa. He was found to have been enrolled in another school outside the NCAA.[23]
Match-up results
Two first-round games, Benilde vs. JRU, and JRU vs. San Sebastian, were rescheduled on the early part of the second round. On this table, they're shown as if they occurred before the second round started.
Source: GMA = Win; = OT win; = Win by forfeit; = Loss; = OT loss; = Loss by forfeit
Postponed games
Letran vs. EAC rescheduled after four Letran players tested positive for COVID-19.[3]
San Sebastian's games vs. Lyceum and EAC rescheduled after six San Sebastian players tested positive for COVID-19.[24]
September 25 games (JRU vs. Benilde and San Beda vs. Perpetual) were rescheduled due to Super Typhoon Karding.[25]
JRU's games vs. San Sebastian and Benilde after JRU players tested positive for COVID-19.[26] The JRU vs. San Sebastian game has been rescheduled thrice.[27]
San Beda vs Arellano rescheduled after Arellano players tested positive for COVID-19.[26]
Games on October 29 (Arellano vs. EAC and San Beda vs. Benilde)[28] and October 30 (Mapua vs. San Sebastian and JRU vs. Letran)[29] have been postponed due to Tropical Storm Paeng.
Scores
Results on top and to the right of the grey cells are for first-round games; those to the bottom and to the left of it are second-round games.
Source: GMA Legend: Blue = left column team win; Red = top row team win. Matches with lighter background shading were decided after overtime. Notes:
^Benilde was leading 71–51 with 3:22 remaining in the fourth quarter when JRU player John Amores charged the Benilde bench and assaulted several Benilde players, which caused the game to be halted. After a long pause, the NCAA Management Committee abandoned the game and awarded Benilde the win, keeping the score before the game was halted.[30]
^Mapúa originally won 66–55. The NCAA Management Committee reversed Mapúa's win over San Beda after the Cardinals were found to have fielded an ineligible player in Gab Gamboa, awarding San Beda with a 20–0 win.[23]
The Letran Knights qualified to its fourth consecutive Final Four.[34] The Lyceum Pirates clinched a Final Four berth after missing out in Season 97.[35]
The Finals is a best-of-three series. Benilde qualified to its first Finals appearance in 20 years,[36] while Letran qualified to its third consecutive Finals.[18]
Sangalang was given another one-game suspension, this time on their game against the Lyceum Pirates, for actions detrimental to the league.[51]
There were reports that Gab Gamboa of the Mapúa Cardinals was banned in the NCAA for life for being an ineligible player after being enrolled in another school (St. Clare College of Caloocan) outside of the NCAA. Gamboa had already withdrew from the team on September 18. The ban was supposedly reported on October 1. Last time while the Mapúa Cardinals wins on this opening day last September 10, 2022 at the score of 66-55 + the San Beda Red Lions will go up to 4-1 win and Mapúa Cardinals 0-6,[52] the NCAA denied that there were penalties already meted on Gamboa himself, with only the forfeiture being confirmed.[53]
Ralph Robin and King Gurtiza of the EAC Generals was suspended for the rest of the season, while Art Cosa and Joshua Tolentino were suspended for an undisclosed number of games, by the team for unspecified "team violations". The announcement was prior to the start of the second round.[54]
John Amores of the JRU Heavy Bombers was suspended indefinitely for the following acts: intentionally bumping the referee, pointing a finger at the referee, disrespecting the NCAA Management Committee (MANCOM) representative, disrespecting court officials, charging towards the bench of CSB, instigating a brawl, making provocative gestures meant to ignite a fight or brawl, and throwing punches against four Benilde players.[58]
JRU also suspended Amores indefinitely, adding that he will no longer play in the remainder of the current season, and would no longer participate in team activities.[59]
A week after the incident, JRU announced that Amores has been permanently removed from the team.[60]
Mark Sangco and CJ Flores of the Benilde Blazers were suspended for two games against the Perpetual Altas and the San Sebastian Stags for disrespecting MANCOM representatives during the Amores incident.[61]
Ryan Arenal and William Sy of the JRU Heavy Bombers were suspended for two games against the San Sebastian Stags and Perpetual Altas for disrespecting ManCom representatives, and Sy was also suspended another game against the Lyceum Pirates for leaving the bench during the Amores incident.[61]
Jason Tan, Joshua Guiab, Jason Celis, Marwin Dionisio, Jan Abaoag, Jonathan Medina, Karl de Jesus and Christian Gonzales of the JRU Heavy Bombers were suspended for one game against the San Sebastian Stags for entering the court without recognition from table officials during the Amores incident.[61]
Ladis Lepalam of the Benilde Blazers was suspended for one game against the Perpetual Altas for entering the court without recognition from table officials during the Amores incident.[61]
The three referees who handled the aforementioned incident during the JRU vs. Benilde game were placed under preventive suspension.[63]
Coach Edgar Macaraya of the San Sebastian Stags was supposed to be suspended for one game for a disqualifying foul for excessive complaining during their game against the Benilde Blazers, but was lifted by the Commissioner's Office; instead, the referees for that game were indefinitely suspended.[64]
Kobe Monje of the Letran Knights, who was ejected in Game 1 of the Finals against Benilde. Will serve a one-game suspension in Game 2.[65]
Kyle Tolentino of the Letran Knights will serve a one-game suspension on Game 2 of the Finals after it was found that he was occupying the landing spot of Migs Oczon of the Benilde Blazers, which resulted in an injury.[66]
Paolo Javillonar of the Letran Knights was reprimanded for his unsportsmanlike behavior when he touched the private part of Will Gozum of the Benilde Blazers and warned that a repetition or commission of a similar offense will merit a stricter penalty. He is to issue a public apology and render community service "as a rehabilitative measure."[66]
Fran Yu of the Letran Knights was suspended in the Finals' Game 3 due to a disqualifying foul against Benilde Blazers on the second quarter of Game 2.[67] Letran appealed the suspension to the Management Committee,[68] but was denied.[69]
Brent Paraiso of the Letran Knights was reprimanded for disrespecting game officials in the Finals' Game 2. Video shown Paraiso participating in a chant badmouthing the referees after Yu was ejected.[70]
The juniors' tournament will also be a qualifying tournament for the 2023 National Basketball Training Center (NBTC) championship, with the champions qualifying.[71] However, with the NCAA championship series being held in the same week as the NBTC championship, the NBTC decided to give the berths given to the NCAA to its losing semifinalists.[72]
Source: NCAA on Livestats Rules for classification: 1) Winning percentage; 2) if tied for #2 or #4, one-game playoff; 3) if two teams are tied, head-to-head record, if three or more teams are tied, head-to-head point differential (H) Hosts Notes:
^ abcdHead-to-head differential: LSGH +23, Malayan +16, San Beda −5, San Sebastian −34; playoff #1: San Beda 93–80 San Sebastian; playoff #2: San Beda 86–75 Malayan (Malayan #4); playoff #3: San Beda 83–77 LSGH (San Beda #2; LSGH #3)
Updated to match(es) played on February 8, 2023. Source: NCAA on Livestats Legend: Blue = left column team win; Red = top row team win. Matches with lighter background shading were decided after overtime.
Classification playoffs
A four-way tie for the second seed needed a series of one-game playoff games to determine the final seedings.[73]
The winner is the 2nd seed and clinches the twice to beat advantage at the semifinals; the loser is the third seed. This is a de facto game 1 of a best-of-three series between LSGH and San Beda.
The top two teams have the twice-to-beat advantage, where they have to be beaten twice, while their opponents just once, to be eliminated.
(1) Letran vs. (4) Malayan
Letran was the first team to clinch a semifinal berth.[20] Malayan qualified to the Final Four by having the second best tiebreaker among the teams tied for second to fourth.[73]
LSGH qualified to the semifinals by virtue of having the best tiebreaker among the four teams tied from second to fourth.[73] San Beda qualified to the Final Four by eliminating San Sebastian in the first classification playoff.[74]
