# UAAP Final Four and Twice-to-Beat, Explained

Source page: https://iskoran.com/guides/uaap-final-four-twice-to-beat/
Last updated: November 1, 2026 12:00 AM (Philippine time, UTC+08:00)

In UAAP men's basketball, the eight schools play a double round-robin elimination round (14 games each). The top four make the Final Four: the No. 1 seed faces No. 4 and No. 2 faces No. 3, and the top two seeds have a twice-to-beat advantage, so they need only one win while their opponents must win twice.

## What twice-to-beat means
The higher seed advances by winning once. The lower seed must beat it in two straight games. If the lower seed wins the first game, a deciding second game is played.

## Ties for a playoff spot
When teams finish level on wins for a place in the Final Four, the UAAP plays an extra game to break the tie.

## Sources
- [Wikipedia: UAAP Final Four (format)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UAAP_Final_Four)
- [Philstar: UAAP opens Final Four hostilities (twice-to-beat seeds, Season 88)](https://www.philstar.com/sports/2025/12/02/2491428/uaap-opens-final-four-hostilities)

How these scores are verified: a final score is published only when two independent sources show the same result, and every game is checked against the league schedule. Times are Philippine time.
Iskoran is independent and not affiliated with the PBA, NBA, UAAP, NCAA, SBP or FIBA. Iskoran does not offer or promote betting.