NCAA Season 73 basketball tournaments
The 1997 NCAA basketball tournament was the 73rd season in the Philippine National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The season opened on August 2, 1997 at the Araneta Coliseum and ended on October 6, 1997 with the San Sebastian Stags winning their fifth straight championship in the Seniors division.
Host school | San Sebastian College – Recoletos | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||
Duration | October 5, 1997 | |||||||||
Arena(s) | Rizal Memorial Coliseum | |||||||||
Winning coach | Arturo Cristobal | |||||||||
TV network(s) | Vintage Sports (IBC) | |||||||||
This was the first-ever final four semifinals. [1]
Seniors' tournament
Elimination round
Pos | Team | W | L | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() |
12 | 0 | 24 | Twice-to-beat in the Finals[lower-alpha 1] |
2 | ![]() |
8 | 4 | 20 | Proceed to stepladder round 2 |
3 | ![]() |
7 | 5 | 19[lower-alpha 2] | Proceed to stepladder round 1 |
4 | ![]() |
7 | 5 | 19[lower-alpha 2] | |
5 | ![]() |
6 | 6 | 18 | |
6 | ![]() |
2 | 10 | 14 | |
7 | ![]() |
0 | 12 | 12 |
(H) Hosts; (X) Under probation
Notes:
- As San Sebastian won all of their elimination round games, the stepladder format will be used instead of the regular Final Four format.
- Head-to-head record: Letran 2–0 Mapua
Bracket
Stepladder round 1 (Single-elimination) | Stepladder round 2 (Single-elimination) | Finals (#1 has twice-to-beat advantage) | |||||||||||
1 | ![]() | 84 | |||||||||||
2 | ![]() | 72 | 2 | ![]() | 72 | ||||||||
3 | ![]() | 68 | 3 | ![]() | 65 | ||||||||
4 | ![]() | 57 | |||||||||||
Stepladder semifinals
Both rounds are straight knockout matches.
First round
October 1 |
Letran Knights ![]() |
68–57 | ![]() |
Letran advances to the 2nd round |
Rizal Memorial Coliseum, Manila |
Letran Knights beat Mapua Cardinals, 68–57, on October 1, in the first of two knockout matches to determine defending champion San Sebastian College's finals opponent. The Stags completed a 12-game elimination round sweep to automatically clinch the first finals slot. [2]
Second round
October 3 |
San Beda Red Lions ![]() |
72–65 | ![]() |
San Beda advances to the Finals |
Rizal Memorial Coliseum, Manila |
San Beda Red Lions finished second and drew a bye; they defeated Letran Knights two nights later, 72–65, and arranged a title clash with San Sebastian Stags. [3]
Finals
San Sebastian has the twice-to-beat advantage over San Beda, who only has to lose once to lose the series.
Game 1
October 5 |
San Sebastian Stags ![]() |
84–72 | ![]() |
San Sebastian wins series in one game |
Rizal Memorial Coliseum, Manila |
Stags' Rommel Adducul capped another MVP season with 20 points and 16 rebounds while Jasper Ocampo and Ulysses Tanique sparked the Stags' breakaway 25–7 run in the final 15 minutes. San Sebastian won their fifth consecutive title and the school's ninth NCAA crown. [4]
Juniors' tournament
Playoffs
Semifinals (Nos. 1 & 2 have twice-to-beat advantage) | Finals (Best-of-three series) | ||||||||
1 | ![]() | 91 | |||||||
4 | ![]() | 72 | |||||||
1 | ![]() | 63 | 60 | ||||||
2 | ![]() | 64 | 78 | ||||||
2 | ![]() | 77 | |||||||
3 | ![]() | 67 | |||||||
References
- "Red Lions nip Cards for NCAA 'Final 4'". Manila Standard.
- "Knights sideline Cardinals". Manila Standard.
- "It's the Lions vs Stags for title". Manila Standard.
- "Stags herd Lions for fifth straight 'NC' crown". Manila Standard.