DUBAI – Meralco is preparing to face another team from East Asia in the Basketball Champions League Asia (BCL Asia) 2025 quarterfinals on June 11.
The Bolts will take on Ulaanbaatar Xac of Mongolia in the knockouts’ opening round as the two got drawn against each other on Monday night.
It would be a clash between teams that split their matches in the group phase, with the reigning PBA Philippine Cup champions bowing to hosts Shabab Al Ahli before bouncing back against Utsunomiya the next night in Group B.
The Broncos, on the other hand, passed their first test with flying colors against the Zhejiang Guangsha Lions of China but fell short of sweeping Group A after losing a narrow one against the FIBA WASL 2025 runners-up Tabiat of Iran.
Ulaanbaatar Xac fell to a stinging 78-76 decision against the Iran Basketball League outfit on Monday night and that alone should be enough reason for Meralco to be wary when they lock horns at 7:00 PM (Manila time).
Not to mention the fact that they are the BCL Asia-East 2025 champions, snaring the crown by beating the Taoyuan Pauian Pilots last May 31 behind eventual MVP Ian Miller, who’s also leading their charge in the Emirati city.
(C) FIBA.Basketball
But the Bolts are coming in confident as well, especially after beating the 2024-25 B.League champions to clinch a berth in the quarters.
That game saw much better cohesion among the new imports among the locals, with Jordon Varnado and Glynn Watson serving as their best players.
The winner between Meralco and Ulaanbaatar Xac — who’s also the 2024-25 The League champions in their homeland — will face the winning team between Tabiat and the Brex in the other quarterfinal pairing.
The other brackets will see defending champions Al Riyadi take on the 0-2 Lions, with Shabab Al Ahli facing the Pilots in the other.
All eight qualified teams knew of their QF opponents through a draw held moments after the final game of the group stage on Monday night.
The cumulative ranking between the three groups, established according to the FIBA Official Basketball Rules – Chapter D – Classification of Teams, were used to determine the teams in different pots.
The qualified teams were divided into four pots, with the top two teams comprising Pot D. The third and fourth teams made up Pot E, while the fifth and sixth teams were in Pot F. Pot G had the no. 7 and 8 teams.
The teams from Pot D were drawn against the teams from Pot G, while the teams from Pot E were drawn against the Pot F teams. Teams from the same pool in the Group Phase cannot be drawn against each other.
