2023 UST Growling Tigers basketball team

2023 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball
Record
Elims rank #8
2023 record2–12
Head coachPido Jarencio (9th season)
Assistant coachesJaps Cuan
Bam Ledesma
CaptainPaul Manalang (3rd season)
Seasons
← 2022
2024 →

The 2023 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team represented the University of Santo Tomas in the 86th season of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines. The men's basketball tournament for the academic year 2023–24 began on September 30, 2023, and the host school for the season was the University of the East.[1]

The Tigers finished eighth and last at the end of the double round-robin eliminations for the second straight year with a 2–12 record after going through a 19-game losing streak that dated back from Season 85. They won only their opening game on October 1, 2022 and then went through a pile of defeats that continued to the current season, where they lost six straight games in the first round of eliminations.[2][3]

They had an average winning margin of 6.0 points and an average losing margin of 16.5 points. Five of their losses were by blowouts, with one against the Ateneo Blue Eagles by 20 points in the first round, and two in each round against the De La Salle Green Archers and the UP Fighting Maroons, by 20, 31, 31, and 25 points, respectively. Their first round game against the Adamson Soaring Falcons resulted to a three-point overtime loss.[4][5][6][7][8][9]

Nic Cabañero once again led the league in scoring with an average of 16.8 points per game. He scored 25 points in their first round game against La Salle, and finished with more than 20 points in three of their other games. He was ranked 8th in the players' MVP tally with 60.1 statistical points at the end of the second round of eliminations.[10]

  1. ^ Garcia, John Mark. "UAAP Season 86 to begin Sept. 30 with men's basketball tilt". SPIN.ph. Retrieved 15 Sep 2023.
  2. ^ Matel, Philip Martin. "Jarencio sorry for UST's woeful run". Rappler. Retrieved 18 Nov 2023.
  3. ^ Morales, Luisa. "Archers survive Tigers to keep Final Four hopes alive". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 30 Nov 2022.
  4. ^ Agcaoili, Lance. "Ateneo gets back on track, blasts UST". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 18 Oct 2023.
  5. ^ Valencia, Justin. "La Salle extends mastery over UST to eight years". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved 7 Oct 2023.
  6. ^ Agcaoili, Lance. "UP stays unbeaten, keeps UST winless". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 14 Oct 2023.
  7. ^ Isaga, JR. "La Salle deflates short-lived UST momentum, cruises to second straight win". Rappler. Retrieved 25 Oct 2023.
  8. ^ Valencia, Justin. "UP dominates UST, secures playoff for twice-to-beat advantage". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved 15 Nov 2023.
  9. ^ Agcaoili, Lance. "Adamson edges UST in OT for first win". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 4 Oct 2023.
  10. ^ Dioquino, Delfin. "La Salle's Quiambao crowned UAAP's first local MVP since 2015". Rappler. Retrieved 29 Nov 2023.