2023 MPBL Preseason Invitational

The 2023 MPBL Preseason Invitational was the pre-season pocket tournament for the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League's 2023 season, and the second tournament under the Invitational label after the 2021 Invitational. The tournament ran from February 21, 2023 until February 27, 2023.

2023 MPBL Preseason Invitational
2023 OKBet MPBL Preseason Invitational
Country Philippines
DatesFebruary 21–27, 2023
Finals venueLagao Gymnasium, General Santos
Teams8
ChampionsZamboanga Family's Brand Sardines
Runners-upNueva Ecija Rice Vanguards
Third placeImus SV Squad
Fourth placeSarangani Marlins
Matches played12 (group stage)
4 (playoffs)

The tournament was held at Lagao Gymnasium in General Santos, home of the GenSan Warriors, with a format is similar to that of the previous edition, albeit downsized to accommodate the smaller pool of teams.[1]

The Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines avenged its 2022 Finals loss against Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards as Zamboanga won with a score of 88–80 in the final game. Dexter Maiquez was crowned the tournament's MVP.[2]

Format

The format for the tournament was as follows:

  • The eight teams are divided into two groups of four teams each. The top two teams in each group advanced to a single-elimination playoffs.
  • All series in the playoffs are single game series; the team must win the match for them to stay and advance.
  • The prize money is as follows: ₱3 million for the champion, ₱500,000 for the runner-up, ₱300,000 for the third-place team, ₱200,000 for the fourth-place team, and ₱100,000 for all non-playoff teams.[3]

Teams

A total of eight teams competed in the tournament. These include seven MPBL teams, as well as Bulalakaw, a local team based in General Santos, as the league’s first-ever guest team.[3]

Name changes

Groups

All eight participating teams were split into two groups. Each team's position in the group was based on their 2022 standings, with Bulalakaw slotted at A4. The groupings were as follows:

Group A
Pos Team
A1 Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines
A2 Batangas City Tanduay Rum Masters
A3 Sarangani Marlins
A4 Bulalakaw
 Group B
Pos Team
B1 Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards
B2 GenSan Warriors
B3 Valenzuela XUR Homes Realty Inc.
B4 Imus SV Squad

Group stage

Group A
Pos Team Pld W L GB Qualification
1 Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines 3 2[lower-alpha 1] 1 — Semifinals
2 Sarangani Marlins 3 2[lower-alpha 1] 1 —
3 Bulalakaw 3 1[lower-alpha 2] 2 1
4 Batangas City Tanduay Rum Masters 3 1[lower-alpha 2] 2 1
Source: Schedule
Rules for classification: 1) Wins; 2) Head-to-head matchup, 3) Head-to-head point differential 4) Record vs. the other group, 5) Overall point differential
Notes:
  1. Head-to-Head: Zamboanga-Sarangani 92–85
  2. Head-to-Head: Bulalakaw-Batangas City 72–70
Teams BTG BLL SAR ZAM
Batangas City 70–72 90–93 88–83
Bulalakaw — 86–106 75–102
Sarangani — — 85–92
Zamboanga — — —
Source: Schedule
Legend: Blue = left column team win; Red = top row team win.
Matches with lighter background shading were decided after overtime.

Each team plays every team once. Number of asterisks after each score denotes number of overtimes played.

Group B
Pos Team Pld W L GB Qualification
1 Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards 3 3 0 — Semifinals
2 Imus SV Squad 3 2 1 1
3 GenSan Warriors 3 1 2 2
4 Valenzuela XUR Homes Realty Inc. 3 0 3 3
Source: Schedule
Rules for classification: 1) Wins; 2) Head-to-head matchup, 3) Head-to-head point differential 4) Record vs. the other group, 5) Overall point differential
Teams GSW IMS NEC VAL
GenSan 61–78 67–73 82–73
Imus — 78–88 88–65
Nueva Ecija — — 94–64
Valenzuela — — —
Source: Standings
Legend: Blue = left column team win; Red = top row team win.
Matches with lighter background shading were decided after overtime.

Each team plays every team once. Number of asterisks after each score denotes number of overtimes played.

Playoffs

Bracket
Semifinals Finals
      
A1 Zamboanga 89
B2 Imus 82
A1 Zamboanga 88
B1 Nueva Ecija 80
B1 Nueva Ecija 112
A2 Sarangani 89 Third place
B2 Imus 93
A2 Sarangani 76

Semifinals
February 25
7:00 pm
Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines 89–82 Imus SV Squad
Scoring by quarter: 21–23, 22–20, 24–28, 22–11
Pts: Judel Fuentes 21
Rebs: Judel Fuentes 9
Asts: Judel Fuentes, Jayvee Marcelino 6		 Pts: Mark Cardona 24
Rebs: Jaymar Gimpayan 16
Asts: Mark Cardona, Jaymar Gimpayan 5
Lagao Gymnasium, General Santos, South Cotabato
February 25
9:00 pm
Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards 112–89 Sarangani Marlins
Scoring by quarter: 21–16, 32–25, 28–20, 31–28
Pts: John Villarias 18
Rebs: William McAloney 7
Asts: Four players 4		 Pts: Nemesis Dela Cruz 18
Rebs: Anthony Sistoza 8
Asts: Alex Desoyo 5
Lagao Gymnasium, General Santos, South Cotabato

Third place game
February 27
7:00 pm
Imus SV Squad 93–76 Sarangani Marlins
Scoring by quarter: 18–11, 24–20, 27–14, 24–31
Pts: Jaymar Gimpayan 22
Rebs: Jaymar Gimpayan 20
Asts: Jayjay Helterbrand 11		 Pts: Orin Catacutan 17
Rebs: Marc Poole 7
Asts: Rafael Are 5
Lagao Gymnasium, General Santos, South Cotabato

Finals
February 27
9:00 pm
Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards 80–88 Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines
Scoring by quarter: 13–30, 21–20, 23–19, 23–19
Pts: Michael Juico 15
Rebs: Michael Juico 8
Asts: Chris Bitoon 5		 Pts: Dexter Maiquez 29
Rebs: three players 7
Asts: Jerald Bautista, Judel Fuentes 5
Lagao Gymnasium, General Santos, South Cotabato

References
  1. "MPBL welcomes Quezon Province, Negros Muscovados". Manila Bulletin. January 30, 2023. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  2. "Zamboanga rules MPBL Preseason Cup". Philstar.com. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
  3. "P3M at stake in MPBL preseason joust". Philstar.com. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
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