Platinum Karaoke rides the crest of its maiden PBA 3×3 title as it eyes a back-to-back when the penultimate leg of the Second Conference Season 2 gets going Saturday at Robinsons Place Novaliches.
Heading into Leg 5, the champion unit of coach Anton Altamirano expectedly is installed as favorite to repeat following its rousing triumph a week ago that saw the franchise finally scored a breakthrough championship in the standalone tournament.
The quartet of Nico Salva, Brandon Bates, Terrence Tumalip, and Yutien Andrada escaped Jorey Napoles and the Cavitex Braves in the Leg 4 finals last week, 13-12, to claim its first ever podium finish in the halfcourt game.
Platinum though, will only bring back half of that championship core in its bid to make it two in a row and take home anew the P100,000 top prize money at stake.
Tumalip and Andrada are suiting up anew in tandem with Raphael Banal and Yves Marron Sazon.
The top seeded team in Pool A, Platinum will play alongside NorthPort and Pioneer Elastoseal.
Meanwhile, the Braves, coming off two straight runner-up finishes, are on top of Pool B along with Barangay Ginebra and Purefoods TJ Titans.
Leg 4 third placer J&T Express is the top team in Pool C where it is joined by Meralco and Terrafirma, even as Blackwater heads Pool D with TNT and San Miguel.
NorthPort versus Pioneer Elastoseal opens hostilities in pool play that features another 12-match schedule starting at 11 a.m.
Second Conference two-leg winner TNT, relegated big man Lervin Flores and Ping Exciminiano in the reserve list and is going to parade the foursome of Almond Vosotros, Samboy De Leon, Gryann Mendoza, and Ray Mark Acuno.
San Miguel on the other hand, tapped anew the Mut and Jeff tandem of Jeffrey Manday and Ken Bono to team up with Wendel Comboy and Jammer Jamito.
Eight teams from the four groups will advance in the next round where the knockout stage format is applied.