The group stage gave us every basketball storyline. A 24-0 run, two league records broken in a single game, a 19-lead-change finish decided at the buzzer, and a champion that still remains undefeated in league history.

Group stage has produced 4 unbeaten group winners — NCCU, Peking University, Tsinghua and Korea University — and four teams that are coming in 1-1 and with something to prove. From here, everything is single elimination. Win and advance. Lose and play for placement.

8 teams, 4 spots, 1 championship. Here's what to expect this AUBL26 quarterfinals.

NCCU vs Yonsei — 11:30 HKT

7 games, 7 wins. NCCU have never lost since this league began — a 5-0 run to the AUBL25 title and two more wins by double digits this week. This Thursday we witness a first: these two programs have never shared a floor in AUBL history.

Yonsei arrive as the tournament's most disruptive defense, having forced 50 turnovers across their two group stage games, the most at AUBL26. They come as the second seed out of Group C after a heartbreaking 1-point loss to Peking University, a game they led for 34 of the 40 minutes. It is one of only two losses in Yonsei's AUBL history — the other being last year's quarterfinals vs Etugen (Mongolia).

The two teams come in with very different offensive styles. NCCU took 69% of their points from inside the arc to Yonsei's 40%, led AUBL26 in fast-break points, and are anchored on the glass by Boubacar Mboup, the 208cm center who holds the AUBL single-game rebounding record (19) and the career double-double record (4). Yonsei live on the outside: 21 3's made to NCCU's 9 on 76 attempts, nearly 3 times NCCU's, with 36% of their points coming from deep to NCCU's 16%.

The numbers: 76 vs 27 — number of 3's attempted by Yonsei and NCCU this AUBL26

PKU vs SJTU — 14:00 HKT

The only all-CUBAL matchup of the quarterfinals is a rematch two times over. Peking University beat SJTU 78-66 in the CUBAL Elite Four semifinal in June 2025, ending the first Final Four run in SJTU program history, then edged them 69-67 in the AUBL25 7th place game — a game SJTU led for more than 15 minutes. Thursday is round three, and for the first time there's a semifinal on the line.

Peking University swept Group C scoring 92 points a game, the most at AUBL26, while holding opponents to 33.6% shooting, the best in the tournament. Their offense lives in the paint — 114 points inside across two games, the two biggest paint-scoring performances of the tournament — and it runs deep, with Li Dongqi's 21 against Yonsei the most any bench player has scored at AUBL26.

SJTU come through second out of Group D at 1-1, averaging 66 points a game and bringing an offense that runs on the pass: they had an 81.8% assisted rate in their game against NUM — 18 assists on 22 baskets — the highest ever recorded in an AUBL game. Both teams live in the halfcourt: their 34 combined fast-break points were the fewest of any quarterfinal pairing, so expect this one to be settled possession by possession — PKU working the ball inside, SJTU working it around.

The numbers: 114 vs 62 — points in the paint for PKU and SJTU this AUBL26.

Waseda vs KU — 17:00 HKT

Korea University won Group B without dropping a game in their first AUBL appearance, beating last year's third-place finishers Hakuoh on opening day and holding UP to 60 points and 4-of-25 from three. They pick their shots as well as anyone in the tournament: 41.5% from three, the best at AUBL26, while their opponents shoot on average 24.4% from the same distance.

Waseda come through Group A at 1-1 with the 3 time AUBL record breaker, Shin Matsumoto, who broke two league records in a single game — 36 points and 8 threes against USyd — then set a third with 13-of-13 from the free throw line against Tsinghua. Eiji Shimoyama broke the AUBL26 assist record twice in two days (10, 11), and Waseda's 78.3% assisted rate across the group stage is the highest of any team in the tournament.

The difference is where the points come from. 20% of Waseda's scoring came on the fast break, second-most at AUBL26 compared to KU's 9%. Waseda will look to run before KU's defense sets; KU will look to make them play five-on-five.

The numbers: 20% vs 9%— fast-break points for Waseda and KU this AUBL26.

THU vs UP — 19:30 HKT

The nightcap is a battle for the glass. Tsinghua and UP rank first and second at AUBL26 in offensive rebounds, and they spent Tuesday trading the record: UP pulled down 19 in the morning, and Tsinghua answered with 20 before the day was out.

UP announced their AUBL debut by beating last year's third-place finishers Hakuoh 76-63, and they own the boards outright — 49.5 rebounds a game to Tsinghua's 46.5, with 17.5 of them offensive to Tsinghua's 15 — while allowing 66.5 points a game to Tsinghua's 68, second and third-fewest in the tournament behind NCCU.

Tsinghua counter with experience. They bring back the core of the team that reached the AUBL25 final, and it has shown all week: Shi Kui and Xi Taicheng have each already taken home a Player of the Game, and Yang Kaiwen's 21 points and 17 rebounds against Waseda is the biggest rebounding performance of the tournament.

The numbers: 17% vs 8% — share of total points scored on the fast break by UP and Tsinghua.