NCAA Season 81 basketball tournaments

The NCAA Season 81 basketball tournaments are the postseason tournaments of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for basketball at the 2005–06 season. The tournaments are divided into two divisions: the Juniors tournament for male high school students, and the Seniors tournament for male college students.

NCAA Season 81 basketball tournaments
Host schoolColegio de San Juan de Letran
Men's Finals 1 23Wins
 Letran Knights 74 78622
 PCU Dolphins 79 60541
DurationSeptember 19 to 23
Arena(s)Araneta Coliseum
Finals MVPBoyet Bautista
Winning coachLouie Alas
Semifinalists Mapúa Cardinals
 San Sebastian Stags
TV network(s)Studio 23 and TFC
Juniors' Finals 1 2Wins
 San Sebastian Staglets 83 812
 San Beda Red Cubs 76 690
DurationSeptember 19 to 21
Arena(s)Araneta Coliseum
Finals MVPEric Salamat
Semifinalists PCU Baby Dolphins
 JRU Light Bombers
TV network(s)Studio 23 and TFC

The Letran Knights defeated the PCU Dolphins, 2 games to 1 in the seniors tournament to take their 16th title, with Boyet Bautista as the Finals MVP.

In the juniors division, the San Sebastian Staglets swept the San Beda Red Cubs, 2-0, to take their second title, as Eric Salamat won Finals MVP honors.

Men's tournament

Elimination round

Team standings
Team standings progression in the senior's basketball tournament.
Pos Team W L PCT GB Qualification
1  Letran Knights (H) 13 1 .929 — Twice-to-beat in the semifinals
2  PCU Dolphins 10 4 .714 3
3  Mapúa Cardinals 9 5 .643 4 Twice-to-win in the semifinals
4  San Sebastian Stags 7 7 .500 6
5  Perpetual Altas 6 8 .429 7
6  Benilde Blazers 5 9 .357 8
7  San Beda Red Lions 4 10 .286 9
8  JRU Heavy Bombers 2 12 .143 11
Source: ABS-CBN Sports
Rules for classification: 1) winning percentage; 2) if tied for top 4, one-game playoff; 3) head-to-head record; 4) head-to-head point differential; 5) overall point differential
(H) Host.

Letran Knights

The Knights had an amazing streak of eleven straight wins right from opening day. The streak was threatened when they faced fellow unbeaten team, the PCU Dolphins, at the end of the first round. Both sporting 6-0 records, the game went into overtime, and Boyet Bautista and John Paul Alcaraz saved the day for the Knights beat the Dolphins resulting a first round sweep.

The streak ended when the Mapua Cardinals, led by the former All-Canadian Kelvin dela Peña beat the Knights as Letran failed to stop dela Peña and collapsed at the end game.(If Letran wins against Mapua in the 2nd round the Knights can already score a 14-0 sweep of the eliminations) The Knights recovered as they blew out the Stags, and swept the regular season series vs. PCU in the season finale.[1]

PCU Dolphins

The defending champions PCU Dolphins also had their own 6-0 streak, beating Mapua and CSB. But it was ended by Letran (see above) in a tight contest.

Then came the shock loss against the San Beda Red Lions under San Beda's debuting coach Koy Banal. The Dolphins bounced back, beating last year's runner-up UPHSD Altas. However, PCU was defeated by the San Sebastian Stags in their second round rematch. On the next game, they clinched the twice to beat advantage when they beat Mapua. However, they failed to beat Letran in the regular season.[1]

Mapua Cardinals

The Mapua Cardinals had their best start in fourteen years as they boasted a 4-0 card. But losses against defending champions PCU Dolphins and Intramuros arch rivals Letran dropped their record to 4-2. A buzzer-beater by Neil Pascual off a Kelvin dela Peña pass against the CSB Blazers kept their Final Four hopes alive. But successive loses against underachievering teams UPHSD Altas and JRU Heavy Bombers put the Final Four aspirations in doubt.

After successive wins against the San Beda Red Lions and CSB Blazers, the Cardinals found confidence in their game, and they beat the then undefeated Letran Knights under the heroics of Kelvin dela Peña and Joferson Gonzales. PCU defeated them again in the eliminations, depriving the Cardinals for a twice to beat advantage in the semis. Mapua bounced back and scored a victory against the Stags.[1] (It can be said that if the Cardinals have beaten the Bombers and the Altas, then they would have a twice to beat advantage in the Semis, and could've been in the Finals.)

San Sebastian Stags

After failing to enter the Final Four for the first time since its inception in 1998, the Stags are itching to bring back the glory to their school. With 2003 NCAA MVP Leomar Najorda and Redentor Vicente, the Stags look poised to barge back into the Final Four. But with a disappointing 0-3 start, the Stags needed to win against the then undefeated CSB Blazers (3-0). Under the exploits of Najorda and Vicente, the Stags won the game.

The rest of season was a roller-coaster ride, with San Sebastian winning games against weaker teams. But a win against the PCU Dolphins finally sealed their Final Four appearance.[1]

Bracket
  Semifinals
#1 & #2 have twice-to-beat advantage		 Finals
Best-of-three series
                       
1 Letran 93    
4 San Sebastian 60    
  1 Letran 74 78 62
  2 PCU 79 60 54
2 PCU 76  
3 Mapua 53    

Semifinals

Letran–San Sebastian series
September 9
Letran Knights  93–60  San Sebastian Stags
Letran wins series in one game

The Knights, which had previously routed the Stags in their two elimination round games, dealt their opponents a 32–6 fourth quarter run that blew the game wide open and eliminated San Sebastian from championship contention. The Knights qualified for their second Finals stint in three years.[2]

PCU–Mapua series
September 9
PCU Dolphins  76–53  Mapúa Cardinals
PCU wins series in one game

With the game tied 49–all at the start of the fourth quarter, the Dolphins staged a 21–2 with last year's Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) Rob Sanz scoring key three-pointers to erect a 72–51 advantage at the final two minutes. The defending champions qualified for their second consecutive Finals stint, against Letran, whom they eliminated the previous year in the semifinals in two games.[2]

Finals

Letran and PCU started their two-year rivalry in the 2004 tournament, when the Dolphins eliminated the Knights in the do-or-die semifinal game that went into overtime via former Knight Ronjay Enrile's flubbed freethrows. The Dolphins then beat 2004's first seed UPHDS Altas in two games, taking their first NCAA seniors basketball title.

Game 1
September 19
Letran Knights  74–79  PCU Dolphins
PCU leads series 1–0
Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City

Trailing 65–70 when Gabby Espinas fouled out, Jayson Castro and Sanz each had a three-pointer in the deciding 11–0 PCU run to put the Dolphins ahead, 76–70 with less than five minutes left. After Jonathan Alvade made a field-goal to cut the lead to three at 74–77, the Dolphins defense prevented another Letran scoring opportunity the rest of the way as they held on to stun the Knights, which had only one loss in the season prior to the game.[3]

Game 2
September 21
Letran Knights  78–60  PCU Dolphins
Series tied 1–1
Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City

In an elimination game for Letran, they scored 25 points in the second quarter to erect a 44–33 lead at halftime. They increased their lead to a commanding 54–33 lead after preventing the Dolphins from scoring in the first five minutes of the third quarter. The Dolphins will cut the lead to fourteen, but that was the nearest they were able to get as the Knights tied the series to force a deciding Game 3.[4]

Game 3
September 23
Letran Knights  62–54  PCU Dolphins
Letran wins series, 2–1
Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City

Letran and PCU were locked in a tight contest at the first quarter, although the Dolphins never led; Letran's Boyet Bautista hit a running three-pointer at the end of the first quarter to prevent the Dolphins from getting close. In the second quarter, Letran twice led by as many as ten points, but the Dolphins limited the Knights to 5 points and a single field-goal to cut Letran's lead. PCU would eventually stare at a 43–41 deficit at the start of the fourth quarter, but Bautista scored on a lay-up that prevent further PCU incursions as the Knights cruised to the victory, and their second championship in three years. Bautista would be named as Finals MVP as he led Letran to their 16th men's basketball title.[5]

Individual awards

Regular season awards

In what was billed as one of the league's closest and most interesting MVP races, former volleyball star Ernie Jay Sagad won MVP honors, defeating last year's MVP and Rookie of the Year Gabby Espinas.[6]

  • Most Valuable Player: Ernie Jay Sagad (CSB)
  • Mythical Five:
    • Ernie Jay Sagad (CSB)
    • Gabby Espinas (PCU)
    • Khiel Misa (UPHSD)
    • Jerome Paterno (San Beda)
    • Redentor Vicente (SSC-R)
  • Rookie of the Year: Kelvin dela Peña (Mapua)
  • Defensive Player of the Year: Espinas (PCU)
  • Most Improved Player of the Year: Aaron Aban (Letran)

NCAA Players of the Week

Starting on the 2005-06 Season, the NCAA Press Corps has awarded the NCAA Player of the Week award to the most outstanding basketball player in a given week.

Juniors' tournament

Elimination round
Pos Team W L PCT GB Qualification
1  San Sebastian Staglets 11 1 .917 — Twice-to-beat in the semifinals
2  San Beda Red Cubs 10 2 .833 1
3  PCU Baby Dolphins 7 5 .583[lower-alpha 1] 4 Twice-to-win in the semifinals
4  JRU Light Bombers 7 5 .583[lower-alpha 1] 4
5  La Salle Greenies 5 7 .417 6
6  Perpetual Junior Altas 2 10 .167 9
7  Letran Squires[lower-alpha 2] (H) 0 12 .000 11
Source: ABS-CBN Sports
Rules for classification: 1) winning percentage; 2) if tied for top 4, one-game playoff; 3) head-to-head record; 4) head-to-head point differential; 5) overall point differential
(H) Host.
Notes:
  1. Third-seed playoff: PCU 96–90 JRU
  2. All of Letran's wins were forfeited when a player was found to have played in a ligang labas game.

Bracket
  Third-seed playoff Semifinals
#1 & #2 have twice-to-beat advantage		 Finals
Best-of-three series
                               
    1  San Sebastian 95    
    4  JRU 82    
   
 
 PCU 96       1  San Sebastian 83 81
 JRU 90         2  San Beda 76 69
 
 
  2  San Beda 80  
  3  PCU 73    

Third-seed playoff
September 9
PCU Baby Dolphins  96–90  JRU Light Bombers

Semi-finals
September 14
San Sebastian Staglets  95–82  JRU Light Bombers
San Sebastian enters the finals
September 14
San Beda Red Cubs  80–73  PCU Baby Dolphins
San Beda enters the finals

Finals
September 19
San Sebastian Staglets  83–76  San Beda Red Cubs
Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City
September 21
San Sebastian Staglets  81–69  San Beda Red Cubs
San Sebastian wins series, 2–0
Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City

Individual awards
  • Finals Most Valuable Player: Eric Salamat (SSC-R)
  • Season Most Valuable Player: Allan Mangahas (PCU)
  • Rookie of the Year: Darell Green (Letran)
  • Mythical Five:
  • Defensive Player of the Year: Darell Green (Letran)
  • Most Improved Player of the Year: Paolo Guidaben (SSC-R)
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References
  1. Menor, Dominic (2005-09-03). "Cardinals claim No. 3 spot". Manila Bulletin. findarticles.com. Retrieved 2010-10-17.
  2. Menor, Dominic (2005-09-09). "Letran, PCU set showdown". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
  3. Menor, Dominic (2005-09-20). "PCU shocks Letran in Game 1". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
  4. Menor, Dominic (2005-09-22). "Letran ties series with easy win". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
  5. Menor, Dominic (2005-09-24). "ARRIBA LETRAN; Knights beat Dolphins to win NCAA championship". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
  6. Menor, Dominic (2005-09-20). "Benilde's Sagad is MVP". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved 2010-10-11.
Preceded by
Season 80 (2004)		 NCAA basketball seasons
Season 81 (2005)		 Succeeded by
Season 82 (2006)
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