UNTV Cup Season 8
The UNTV Cup Season 8 was the 2019–2020 season of the annual charity basketball league in the Philippines, UNTV Cup. The tournament is organized by UNTV under the UNTV-37 Foundation, Inc., thru its chairman and chief executive officer of BMPI-UNTV, "Mr. Public Service" Kuya Daniel Razon. The season officially opened on September 9, 2019 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay. Regular games are held at the Pasig City Sports Center in Pasig and San Juan Gym in San Juan City with a live telecast on the UNTV Public Service channel every Sunday afternoon. Twelve teams are competing for the championship title this season. The best-of-three finals series was held on March 1 and 9, 2020, at the Paco Arena in Manila City and Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City, respectively. The championship is between the three-time defending champion AFP Cavaliers and rookie team DENR Warriors. DENR swept the series against AFP in two games, 2–0, to get their first title in their first season, and become the only rookie team to do so. A total of 10 million pesos tax-free was given to the teams' chosen beneficiaries, with the champion team DENR Warriors taking home a trophy, and 4 million pesos given to their chosen charity institution. During the season, the league got its fourth AnakTV award for being a child-friendly basketball tournament. Teams Twelve squads are vying for the championship title of the season. There are 2 new teams and 10 returning teams, including 3 former tournament winners, led by the Season 7 defending champions AFP Cavaliers. New Teams Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Warriors Social Security System (SSS) Kabalikat Defunct Teams Department of Justice (DOJ) Justice Boosters – played 7 seasons from Season 1 to Season 7 Senate of the Philippines (Senate) Defenders – played 6 seasons from Season 2 to Season 7 Group A Group B Elimination round The elimination round began on September 9, 2019 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay. As part of tradition, the defending champion is to face another team on opening day based on drawing lots. The draw was performed by UNTV Cup innovator Daniel Razon and commissioner Atoy Co. In the first game of the season, the defending champion AFP Cavaliers got a big win against the PITC Global Traders, 90–70. First round Group A Group B Second round Playoffs Quarterfinals TBD vs. TBD TBD vs. TBD TBD vs. TBD TBD vs. TBD TBD vs. TBD TBD vs. TBD Semifinals (1) TBD vs. (4) TBD (2) TBD vs. (3) TBD Tatluhan 3x3 Tournament Tatluhan is UNTV Cup's second annual 3x3 basketball tournament that started on March 1, 2020, and concluded on March 9, 2020. It served as opener and intermission for Finals games. The eight participating teams include all agencies eliminated before the semifinals. Each game is maximum 8 minutes and has 12-second shot clock. PITC became two-time 3x3 champions by defeating PhilHealth, 14-13. The Global Traders got ₱100,000 for Blas F. Ople Policy