NCAA Season 65 basketball tournaments

Format:

• Tournament divided into two halves: winners of the two halves dispute the championship in a best-of-3 finals series unless:
  • A team wins both rounds. In that case, the winning team automatically wins the championship.
  • A third team has a better cumulative record than both finalists. In that case, the third team has to win in a playoff against the team that won the second round to face the team that won in the first round in a best-of-3 finals series.

First round team standings Pos Team W L Pts Qualification 1  Perpetual Altas 4 1 9 Advance to the Finals 2  Letran Knights 3 2 8 3  San Sebastian Stags 3 2 8 4  Mapúa Cardinals (H) 2 3 7 5  JRC Heavy Bombers 2 3 7 6  San Beda Red Lions 1 4 6 Source: Rules for classification: 1) tournament points; 2) if tied for #1, one-game playoff; 3) head-to-head record; 4) head-to-head point differential; 5) overall point differential (H) Hosts

Second round team standings Pos Team W L Pts Qualification 1  San Sebastian Stags 3 2 8[lower-alpha 1] Advance to the Finals 2  Mapúa Cardinals (H) 3 2 8[lower-alpha 1] 3  Perpetual Altas 3 2 8[lower-alpha 1] 4  Letran Knights 3 2 8[lower-alpha 1] 5  San Beda Red Lions 2 3 7 6  JRC Heavy Bombers 1 4 6 Source: Rules for classification: 1) tournament points; 2) if tied for #1, one-game playoff; 3) head-to-head record; 4) head-to-head point differential; 5) overall point differential (H) Hosts Notes: Second round pennant playoffs: San Sebastian won.

No other team had a better cumulative record than the two pennant winners, so playoff for the Finals berth was not played.

Pos	Team	W	L	Pts	Qualification
1	Perpetual Altas	7	3	17	Advance to the Finals[lower-alpha 1]
2	San Sebastian Stags	6	4	16	Advance to the Finals[lower-alpha 2]
3	Letran Knights	6	4	16
4	Mapúa Cardinals (H)	5	5	15
5	JRC Heavy Bombers	3	7	13
6	San Beda Red Lions	3	7	13

The Altas of Perpetual Help College of Rizal took the first round flag with a 4-1 won-loss card following Letran's 97-106 loss to San Sebastian on August 26, in which the defending champion Stags tied the Knights with three wins and two losses. [2]

The second round of the tournament had a four-way tie among Perpetual Help College, San Sebastian, Mapua and Letran. The four teams were paired and the winners clash in a playoff to decide the second round champion. Had the Altas won the knockout series, they will automatically be declared champions. [3] It turn out the San Sebastian Stags emerge victorious and captured the second round pennant, thus forge a best-of-three title showdown with the Altas.