Madness descends upon the SM Mall of Asia Arena from March 18 to 24, as 32 teams battle for supremacy in the 2024 Smart-NBTC National Finals.
Defending three-time titlist National University-Nazareth School, UAAP champion Adamson High School, and NCAA Final Four teams San Sebastian College-Recoletos and Mapua High School headline the competition and are joined by 16 regional crews, two NCR representatives, two wildcard entries, and seven global squads.
Jared Bahay, the NBTC’s top-ranked player for the second straight year, and Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu complete the cast that will dispute the Philippine national under-19 championship.
“We’re excited to once again be back in our original format for the National Finals, and this early, we’re bracing for an action-packed week. The future of Philippine basketball is indeed before us,” said NBTC program director Eric Altamirano.
The Magis Eagles, together with the global teams and regional semifinalists, raise the curtain on Monday for the seeding round before all 32 teams play on Tuesday in the Super 32, where they determine which division they will play in, with the winners progressing to Division 1 and the losers moving to Division 2.
From there, the knockout phase begins with the Supreme 16 on Wednesday, the Fantastic Eight on Thursday, and the Fearless Four on Friday.
Winners of the semifinals then advance to the Division 1 and 2 championships on Sunday.
The best under-19 players will also strut their stuff in the NBTC All-Star Game on Saturday, where Bahay and No. 2 Kieffer Alas of De La Salle Zobel will lead Team Heart and Team Hustle, respectively.
Part of the Madness in MOA as well is the NBTC Coaches Convention from March 21 to 23, and the inaugural Manila Live competitions featuring a girls tournament, as well as U19, U16, and U14 boys tournaments.
