Sinulog Cup qualifying round gets underway

The qualifying round of the Sinulog Cup 2024 Basketball Tournament kicks off today at the Cebu City Sports Institute in Barangay Sawang Calero with three games on tap.

The University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) Panthers will take on the Southwestern University (SWU)-Phinma Cobras in the 5 p.m. opener, while the University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors will lock horns with the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Jaguars in the second game at 6:30 p.m.

In the main match set at 8 p.m., the University of the Philippines (UP)-Cebu Fighting Maroons will collide against the Cebu Roosevelt Memorial Colleges (CRMC) Mustangs.

The other contenders of the qualifiers are the University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters and the Benedicto College Cheetahs, who are both in bracket A.

By virtue of their being the first runner-up in the last Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) season, the Webmasters gain an outright berth to the Final Four crossover where they will face the top seed in their bracket. In the other sudden-death duel, the No.1 team in bracket B will tackle the second ranked squad in bracket A.

Aside from receiving cash incentives, the winners will also proceed to the Sinulog Cup where they will face six commercial ballclubs bannered by defending champion EGS of Wilson Bas Villanueva slated on January 23-27.

Also set to see action in the four-day hardcourt battle in line with the Sinulog festivities are the Dondon Hontiveros-led Chase Tower Runs of Chase Cokaliong, Team Khalifa Leyte, OCCCI-Ormoc Sheermasters, KSB Glass of Iligan City, and United Negros Basketball League (UNBL) of Bacolod City.

They will fight it out for the P150,000 champion's purse. The first runner-up will pocket P100,000, while the third and fourth placers will receive P50,000 and P25,000, respectively.