Meralco drawn with Utsunomiya, Carl Tamayo's Changwon joins Al-Riyadi following BCL Asia group draw

Meralco is grouped with Utsunomiya and Shabab Al Ahli for the BCL Asia preliminaries. PBA Images (file photo)

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA--Meralco finds itself grouped with newly crowned Japan B.League champion Utsunomiya in one of three groups in the Basketball Champions League Asia after the group draw was held at the UG Palace in Ulaanbaatar on Saturday.

Both the Bolts and Brex end up in Group B along with Shabab Al Ahli.

On the other hand, new KBL champion Changwon, led by Filipino import Carl Tamayo, is set for a huge battle against Middle Eastern basketball giant Al Riyadi as they are grouped in Group C along with Taoyuan.

The other group, Group A, consists of Tabiat, Zhejiang, and Ulaanbaatar.

Only one team will be knocked out of contention after the group stages, that is, the worst-performing team among those that will finish last in their respective groups.

Another draw will determine the quarterfinal pairings, and the playoffs will rage on from there.

The champion of BCL Asia, which takes place from June 7-13 in Dubai, earns a place in the FIBA Intercontinental Cup in Singapore.

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