- NCAA Season 81 basketball tournaments
-
NCAA Season 81 basketball tournaments 
Host school Colegio de San Juan de Letran
Seniors' tournament 1 2 3 Wins 
Letran Knights74 78 62 2 
PCU Dolphins79 60 54 1 Duration September 19 to 23 Arena/s Araneta Coliseum Finals MVP Boyet Bautista Winning coach Louie Alas Semifinalists 
Mapúa Cardinals
San Sebastian StagsTV network/s Studio 23 and TFC
Juniors' Finals 1 2 Wins San Sebastian Staglets83 81 2 
San Beda Red Cubs76 69 0 Duration September 19 to 21 Arena/s Araneta Coliseum Finals MVP Eric Salamat Semifinalists PCU Baby Dolphins
JRU Light BombersTV network/s Studio 23 and TFC < Season 80 2005 Season 82 > 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.
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.
Contents
Men's tournament
Elimination round
Team standings
Team standings progression in the senior's basketball tournament.
Legend Qualified for semifinals with twice to beat advantage Qualified for semifinals # Team W L PCT GB 1 Letran Knights13 1 .929 -- 2 PCU Dolphins10 4 .714 3 3 Mapúa Cardinals9 5 .643 4 4 San Sebastian Stags7 7 .500 6 5 
UPHSD Altas6 8 .429 7 6 
CSB Blazers5 9 .357 8 7 San Beda Red Lions4 10 .286 9 8 JRU Heavy Bombers2 12 .143 11 Host team in boldface.
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 advantageFinals
Best-of-three series1 
Letran93 4 
San Sebastian60 1 Letran74 78 62 2 
PCU79 60 54 2 PCU76 3 
Mapua53 Semifinals
Letran–San Sebastian series
September 9 Letran Knights 93–60 San Sebastian StagsCuneta Astrodome, Pasay Studio 23 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 CardinalsCuneta Astrodome, Pasay Studio 23 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 successfully 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 DolphinsAraneta Coliseum, Quezon City Studio 23 PCU leads series 1–0 Trailing 65–70 when Gabby Espinas fouled out, Jason 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 DolphinsAraneta Coliseum, Quezon City Studio 23 Series tied 1–1 In an elimination game for Letran, they scored 25 minutes 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 DolphinsAraneta Coliseum, Quezon City Studio 23 Letran wins series, 2–1 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.
- June 25 - July 3: Kelvin dela Peña, Mapua
- July 4 - 10: Aaron Aban, Letran
- July 11-17: Gabby Espinas, PCU
- July 18 - 24: Jonathan Aldave, Letran
- July 25 - 31: John Paul Alcaraz. Letran
- Aug 1 - 7: Jerome Paterno, San Beda
- Aug 8 - 14: Boyet Bautista, Letran
- Aug 15 - 21: Jason Castro, PCU
- Aug 22 - 28: Leo Najorda, San Sebastian
- Aug 29 - Sep 4: Mark Andaya, Letran
- Sep 5 - 11: Robert Sanz, PCU
- Sep 19 - 25: Boyet Bautista, Letran (Finals MVP)
Juniors' tournament
Elimination round
All of the games of the Colegio de San Juan de Letran Squires were forfeited when a certain player was caught playing in another league during the NCAA Basketball tournament. NCAA rules state that a player can't play in another league when the tournament is ongoing.
Legend Qualified for semifinals with twice to beat advantage Qualified for semifinals # Team W L PCT GB 1 San Sebastian Staglets11 1 .917 -- 2 San Beda Red Cubs10 2 .833 1 3 PCU Baby Dolphins7 5 .583 4 4 JRU Light Bombers7 5 .583 4 5 LSGH Greenies5 7 .417 6 6 UPHSD Altalletes2 10 .167 9 7 Letran Squires0 12 .000 11 8 Mapua Red RobinsOn leave Bracket
Third-seed playoff Semifinals
#1 & #2 have twice-to-beat advantageFinals
Best-of-three series1 San Sebastian95 4 JRU82 PCU96 1 San Sebastian83 81 JRU90 2 San Beda76 69 2 San Beda80 3 PCU73 Third-seed playoff
September 9 PCU Baby Dolphins 96–90 JRU Light BombersCuneta Astrodome, Pasay Semi-finals
September 14 San Sebastian Staglets 95–82 JRU Light BombersCuneta Astrodome, Pasay San Sebastian enters the finals September 14 San Beda Red Cubs 80–73 PCU Baby DolphinsCuneta Astrodome, Pasay San Beda enters the finals Finals
September 19 San Sebastian Staglets 83–76 San Beda Red CubsAraneta Coliseum, Quezon City Studio 23 September 21 San Sebastian Staglets 81–69 San Beda Red CubsAraneta Coliseum, Quezon City Studio 23 San Sebastian wins series, 2–0 Eric Salamat of SSC-R named Finals MVP.
Individual awards
- Most Valuable Player: Allan Mangahas (PCU)
- Mythical Five:
- Rookie of the Year: Darell Green (Letran)
- Defensive Player of the Year: Darell Green (Letran)
- Most Improved Player of the Year: Paolo Guidaben (SSC-R)
References
- ^ a b c d Menor, Dominic (2005-09-03). "Cardinals claim No. 3 spot". Manila Bulletin (findarticles.com). http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/manila-bulletin/mi_7968/is_2005_Sept_3/cardinals-claim-3-spot/ai_n34077646/. Retrieved 2010-10-17.
- ^ a b Menor, Dominic (2005-09-09). "Letran, PCU set showdown". Manila Bulletin. http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/manila-bulletin/mi_7968/is_2005_Sept_10/letran-pcu-set-showdown/ai_n34080575/?tag=content;col1. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
- ^ Menor, Dominic (2005-09-20). "PCU shocks Letran in Game 1". Manila Bulletin. http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/manila-bulletin/mi_7968/is_2005_Sept_20/pcu-shocks-letran-game-1/ai_n34084321/?tag=content;col1. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
- ^ Menor, Dominic (2005-09-22). "Letran ties series with easy win". Manila Bulletin. http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/manila-bulletin/mi_7968/is_2005_Sept_22/letran-ties-series-win/ai_n34085646/?tag=content;col1. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
- ^ Menor, Dominic (2005-09-24). "ARRIBA LETRAN; Knights beat Dolphins to win NCAA championship". Manila Bulletin. http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/manila-bulletin/mi_7968/is_2005_Sept_24/arriba-letran-knights-beat-dolphins/ai_n34085924/?tag=content;col1. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
- ^ Menor, Dominic (2005-09-20). "Benilde's Sagad is MVP". Manila Bulletin. http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/manila-bulletin/mi_7968/is_2005_Sept_20/benildes-sagad-mvp/ai_n34084323/?tag=content;col1. Retrieved 2010-10-11.
Preceded by
Season 80 (2004)NCAA basketball seasons
Season 81 (2005)Succeeded by
Season 82 (2006)Pennant era 1924 • 1925 • 1926 • 1927 • 1928 • 1929 • 1930 • 1931 • 1932 • 1933 • 1934 • 1935 • 1936 • 1937 • 1938 • 1939 • 1940 • 1941 • 1947 • 1948 • 1949 • 1950 • 1951 • 1952 • 1953 • 1954 • 1955 • 1956 • 1957 • 1958 • 1959 • 1960 • 1961 • 1962 • 1963 • 1964 • 1965 • 1966 • 1967 • 1968 • 1969 • 1970 • 1971 • 1972 • 1973 • 1974 • 1975 • 1976 • 1977 • 1978 • 1979 • 1980 • 1981 • 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1985 • 1986 • 1987 • 1988 • 1989 • 1990 • 1991 • 1992 • 1993 • 1994 • 1995 • 1996 • 1997 • 1998Final Four era Men's Final Four | Men's Final Four results | Champions 
National Collegiate Athletic Association (2011–12) ArellanoChiefs LetranKnights DLS-CSBBlazers EACGenerals JRUHeavy Bombers LyceumPirates MapúaCardinals San BedaRed Lions San SebastianGolden Stags UPHSDAltas High SchoolBraves High SchoolSquires La Salle
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High SchoolAltalettesBadminton | Basketball | Beach volleyball | Cheerleading | Chess | Football | Lawn tennis | Soft Tennis | Softball | Swimming | Table tennis | Taekwondo | Track and field | Volleyball | GeneralRelated: Letran – San Beda rivalry | Battle of IntramurosSee also: NCAA South | Arellano and EAC are currently members under probation; Lyceum is a guest member. Categories:- 2005 in the Philippines
- 2005 in basketball
- National Collegiate Athletic Association (Philippines) seasons
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