Quezon city: The men's basketball tournament will have a new format in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Season 101, which kicks off on Oct. 1 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The league's Management Committee announced this during a press conference on Monday at the Novotel Manila in Quezon City.

According to Philippines News Agency, the NCAA will transition from the traditional double round-robin elimination format to a new structure involving group games divided into two pools. Teams are divided into Groups A and B, playing their group mates twice and the opposing group's teams once. This setup results in a total of 13 elimination round games, determining the positioning for each group. The top three teams from each group will advance, while the lower-ranked teams will compete for the last two quarterfinal spots.

San Beda coach Yuri Escueta expressed optimism about the new format, saying, "For me, the beauty of the new format gives everyone a chance. You can also see in the pre-season that all teams became strong." In the quarterfinals, teams will compete in a crossover knockout phase, with the top two teams from each pool enjoying twice-to-beat advantages.

The semifinals will feature a best-of-three series among four teams to decide the finalists. Group A includes defending champion Mapua, along with Lyceum, Perpetual Help, San Sebastian, and Arellano. Group B consists of San Beda, College of St. Benilde, Letran, Jose Rizal University, and Emilio Aguinaldo College.