SAN Beda, the 2019 preseason champion, will be tested in a tough group that included some of the top UAAP schools in the Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup which opens this July 23 at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.
The Red Lions will wage war against reigning UAAP champion University of the Philippines, La Salle, Far Eastern University, Adamson, National University, University of Santo Tomas, and University of the East in Group B.
Knights lead Group A
NCAA kingpins Letran, on the other hand, will battle its league rivals Mapua, Perpetual, St. Benilde, Arellano, Emilio Aguinaldo College, San Sebastian, Lyceum, and Jose Rizal University in Group A.
It's a rejigged field with seven UAAP teams and all 10 NCAA schools getting their early workouts before their respective tournaments commence later this year.
"We're elated to host the UAAP and NCAA teams for the return of the Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup. We're pumped to see competitive games from all the participating schools as we celebrate our 15th staging of the tournament," said chairman Rey Gamboa, who is joined by lead commissioner Joe Lipa, deputy commissioner Bert dela Rosa, tournament director Joey Guillermo, and consultant and media head Virgil Villavicencio in supervising the tilt.
The teams will play in a round-robin stage, with the top four teams from each group advancing to the crossover knockout playoffs.