Games Tuesday (The Arena in San Juan)
1:40 p.m. – Opening Ceremonies
2 p.m. – Ascof Lagundi vs Excel Roof
4 p.m. – Fern-C vs Cossack Blue

The 2010 PBL PG Flex-Erase Placenta Cup opens on Tuesday with Ascof Lagundi going up against the San Sebastian Stags-led Excel Roof on February 16 at The Arena in San Juan.

Although the squad of coach Carlo Tan will enter the season-opening conference without last season's Most Valuable Player Chris Ross, the Pascual Laboratories-owned team remains upbeat of finally winning their first-ever championship since joining the league three years ago.

“I have eight holdovers of last year’s team and at least seven new faces, so we’re still trying to fit each one to our basketball system. Hopefully, things will run smoothly in time for the opener,” said Tan.

Ascof Lagundi made a surprise run in last year's Unity Cup, when it pushed the eventual seven-time champion Oracle Residences to a full five-game series.

This time, however, the Pascual Laboratories franchise is hoping to get the title.

Their championship bid will begin at 2 p.m. against Excel Roof, a team comprised of the NCAA champion Stags and their coach Ato Agustin, one of the 20 Greatest Players in PBL history.

NCAA Finals MVP Jimbo Aquino and excitingc forward Calvin Abueva will spearhead Excel Roof's maiden campaign while expecting to get good help from Fil-Am Josh Vanlandingham, who once scored 32 points for Hapee Toothpaste last season. “They have what it takes to challenge everybody and they are fresh from winning the NCAA crown, so it’s a plus factor for them,” said Tan.

New teams Fern-C and Cossack Blue, meanwhile, will collide in the second game at 4pm.

Fern-C, to be coached by former Ginebra heartthrob Bal David, will be led by NCAA Most Valuable Player John Wilson, who once scored 48 points in a game for Jose Rizal University.

Cossack Blue will comprised mostly of players from the UAAP second placer University of the East, led by James Martinez, Raffy Reyes, Paul Zamar, Erwin Duran, JM Noble, and Gino Etrone.