Kieffer Alas, Cabs Cabonilas and Mark Esperanza will try to catch the last bus to the 2025 Smart-NBTC National Finals when they see action in the wildcard tournaments on Thursday at the Gameville Ball Park and CCF Center.

Alas, the top-ranked high school player in the country and the newly-minted University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 boys basketball Most Valuable Player, will spearhead Phenom Blue Fire as he teams up with CJ Amos, Santi Romero, Matthew Jucom and Bonn Daja.

They are favored to emerge in Pool B of the Gameville tilt, which also includes the Nathan Egea-led Tiana ENT Basketball, Taguig-Pateros champion Toto Tumbs Barbers, Holy Deliverance ICS of Rizal, and Calgary Blizzard North.

Also part of the field are El Listo-Camarines Norte, Fil-Am Nation Select San Francisco, Elite WA, Gardner College, and Eco Green Technology in Pool A; as well as 1Marinduque, PSA KEAS New Zealand, AUBA Perth, Tigers Basketball and Vic Manuel Basketball Club.

Far Eastern University-Diliman’s Cabonilas, on the other hand, leads Eastprnt x Ympact Ballers as he engages in an early Pool A tussle against Marikina Health Forum, which is bannered by fellow UAAP Mythical Team member Esperanza of Adamson University as well as the unified Batang Tiaong x Tribu x Boss I squad, Quezon City champions Arceegee Saints and FYBA DC in the CCF chapter.

Arellano Braves is in Pool B together with PCCR Serpent Eagles, WCA Carabaos, Homegrown Australia, and Proudly Pinoy Filcom Italy; while the UE Junior Warriors is in Pool C alongside Fil-Can Nation Select, Nueva Ecija D’ Generals, United Hoopers, and Mic Basketball Australia Boomers.

Only the champions of the two wildcard tournaments will earn the elusive tickets to complete the 32-team cast in the National Finals which opens on 31 March.