UNIVERSITY of the Philippines kickstarts its buildup for its title defense this coming UAAP Season 85 through the Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup which starts this Saturday at Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
Two-and-a-half months removed from their dream title run, the Fighting Maroons of JD Cagulangan, Zavier Lucero, and Malick Diouf will try to get out of cloud nine and turn their attention to a shot at a repeat in their home league.
Tough debut
The preseason tournament gives UP a chance to tinker with its lineup when it faces a tough Mapua side that's coming off a runner-up finish in NCAA Season 97.
"We understand how important these preseason preparations are for us as we try to build our team together before the UAAP season begins," said coach Goldwin Monteverde ahead of the 1 p.m. face-off.
Carl Tamayo, who is fresh off a stint with Gilas Pilipinas in the 2022 Fiba Asia Cup in Jakarta, is still doubtful for the game.
The Fighting Maroons and the Cardinals fire the opening salvo in this opening day triple-header, followed by the matches between La Salle and FEU at 3 p.m., and St. Benilde and Adamson at 5 p.m.
The 17 participating teams are grouped into two brackets, with Group A featuring UP, Mapua, Adamson, Perpetual, College of St. Benilde, National University, Arellano, University of the East, and Emilio Aguinaldo College; and Group B having defending NCAA champion Letran, La Salle, San Beda, Far Eastern University, San Sebastian, University of Santo Tomas, Lyceum, and Jose Rizal University.
Only the top four teams in each group will progress to the knockout playoffs, with the Finals happening on August 27.
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