ONE YEAR ago, the UST Growling Tigers finally clawed their way out of the void by ending a half-decade Final Four drought, only to bow to the eventual champions UP Fighting Maroons.
Now, in back-to-back years, the Tigers and the Fighting Maroons meet again in the postseason, with UP once again armed with a twice-to-beat advantage.
To avoid another anticlimactic exit, UST must strike early and steal Game 1 of their UAAP Season 88 semifinal duel on Wednesday, December 3, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The last time the Tigers bested the Maroons in the postseason was over six years ago in Season 82, when guard Renzo Subido’s game-winning triple sent UST to the finals.
Their season series is split 1-1, highlighted by the Tigers’ stunning 20-point opening rout, 87-67, back on Sept. 21.
UST rode a blistering start to Season 88, beating last year’s finalists UP and DLSU, as it also pulled off a gritty triple overtime escape against Ateneo.
However, the Pido Jarencio-led Tigers’ momentum later wavered, dropping four straight games, including back-to-back one-point heartbreakers against Adamson and UP, that were rooted in struggles with free throws.
Nevertheless, UST found a way to finish the elimination round as the third seed with an 8-6 record, marking their best finish since Season 82 in 2019.
The defending champions, headed by coach Goldwin Monteverde, stumbled out of the gate with two early losses before recovering sharply by dropping only two more games the rest of the way to finish as the second-best team with a 10-4 slate.
Leading the España cagers into battle are co-captains Nic Cabañero and Forthsky Padrigao who are both in their final year.
Cabañero capped his final UAAP elimination round with a scoring title and a second straight nod to the Mythical Five as the combo guard dropped 16.79 points in 14 games.
“We will just do our best… No more words, more on actions first,” Cabañero told The Flame after UST’s elimination round loss to the FEU Tamaraws on Nov. 26.
Padrigao, who served as the Tigers’ floor general, tallied 5.15 dimes per match to relieve ball-handling duties from his fellow veteran.
UST’s biggest breakthrough, however, came in the form of Nigerian foreign student-athlete Collins Akowe. The 6-foot-10 center made his name known after delivering a monster collegiate debut as he normed 16.4 points, 14.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per contest to claim the Rookie of the Year honors.
“I actually didn’t see that coming… Respect to all the rookies, we fought hard,” Akowe said.
“It’s all out… It’s a do-or-die because UP [is] twice to beat,” the 19-year-old cager added.
UST will also lean on the firepower of veteran guard Kyle Paranada and Mark Llemit, as well as solid role players Amiel Acido and Gelo Crisostomo.
The Maroons, behind the leadership of team captain Gerry Abadiano and his longtime teammates Harold Alarcon, Terrence Fortea, Reyland Torres and Janjan Felicilda, will look to showcase their championship composure to knock out the Tigers.
This marks UP’s seventh consecutive Final Four appearance, while UST is set to enter its second playoff berth in six years. F
