The Tigers made it back to the playoffs for the first time since Season 78 after finishing the double round-robin eliminations at fourth place with 8 wins against 6 losses. The FEU Tamaraws had the same win–loss record but were ranked higher on a superior +6 quotient over UST.
The Blue Eagles went on to sweep the Finals series for an unprecedented 16–0 season and capped a three-peat championship run that began in Season 80. UST, who had nine new players in their roster was the only team to have lost to Ateneo by a solitary point this season. Their first round match ended with a score of 70–71.[2][3]
Beninesecenter Soulémane Chabi Yo was named Most Valuable Player of the season, while former Tiger Cubs' one-and-done and mythical team member Mark Nonoy won the Rookie of the Year award. This was the first time in a decade for players from UST to win the MVP and the Rookie of the Year awards. Dylan Ababou was the MVP, while Jeric Teng was the Rookie of the Year in 2009.[4]
Rhenz Abando, a transferee from Pangasinan's Philippine College of Science and Technology was chosen Player of the Week by the UAAP Press Corps for the duration of September 4–8, while team captain CJ Cansino, who had a season-ending ACL injury the previous year got the citation during the week of October 16–20, 2019.[5][6]
Season records
UST had an average winning margin of 12.8 points and an average losing margin of 8.7 points.
They had a blowout win over the UE Red Warriors, defeating them 101–73 in the second round of eliminations. Their 101-point output was the highest scored by a team in the season. It eclipsed their opening day record of 95 points which was also against UE. Prior to the game, the Tigers had not scored more than 90 points since Aldin Ayo took over as head coach. It was during the first round of Season 80 when UST scored 91 points in a losing effort to also the Red Warriors on their 11th consecutive loss that dated back to the second round of Season 79.[7][8][9]
UST made a record 49 three-point shot attempts in their opening game against UE, 15 of which were by Abando. The Tigers also have the most number of three-point field goals converted with 16, as well as the highest total field goal attempts made in a game with 95, converting also a record high 39 shots.[10]
The team also held the most number of free throw attempts and conversions with 42 and 28 respectively. This was during their second-round game against the Adamson Falcons where both teams committed a combined total of 21 team fouls in the first quarter.
UST also recorded the fewest turnovers made in a game with 6 during their second-round match against UP .[11]
Cameroonian center Steve Akomo has used up his eligibility but is ably replaced by the Beninese Soulémane Chabi Yo, a transferee from Colegio de San Lorenzo who led the Griffins to the 2017 UCBL championship.[12]
Mario Bonleon and Season 81 team captain Marvin Lee decided to forgo their final playing year to join the commercial leagues. Bonleon announced to the team that he was not coming back due to recurring injuries. He had made his decision before the Tigers played their last game of the season. Lee was the team's second leading scorer last season behind Renzo Subido and had played long minutes in UST's preseason games but was advised by their head coach to pursue playing in the MPBL in lieu of his final year in college. His Season 81 scoring average was 14.4 points per game.[13][14]
Aldin Ayo's twofold rebuilding plan to hold on to players from the UST high school program and to find talents from the countryside could not be any more evident this season with the arrival of UST Tiger Cubs' mythical team member Mark Nonoy, La Union native Rhenz Abando, and Davao City rookie standout Deo Cuajao.
Aldin Ayo went into his second year as the head coach of the Growling Tigers, but not without controversies. A rumor that originated from an anonymous tweet in April claimed that Ayo had been fired as coach of the Growling Tigers, but UST's school publication, The Varsitarian later clarified that he was actually giving up his post as consultant of the juniors' basketball program to concentrate on rebuilding the seniors' team.
This led Bonnie Garcia to step down from the seniors' coaching staff to replace Ayo in the juniors' program. Garcia is the coach of the UST Tiger Cubs basketball team that placed fifth in Season 81 on a 7–7 win–loss record.
The Varsitarian further clarified that Ayo had actually signed a three-year contract and not six years as reported last year.[19]
Aside from Garcia, assistant coach Randy Alcantara also left Ayo's coaching staff after he was selected by the Mapúa University Cardinals senior men's basketball team in December 2018 to replace Atoy Co as their new head coach. Alcantara was the coach of Mapúa's juniors' team who had just won their third straight NCAA championship earlier in November.[20]
Tapped to replace Garcia and Alcantara were former Arellano Baby Chiefs player JR Carlos and former captain of the Growling Tigers Jino Manansala.
(#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in UTC+08:00.
^Arvin Marzan is still in high school and is currently playing for the UST Tiger Cubs team
^ abcdeMahloney Tarranza, Ian Herrera, Francis Batuzolele, Renzel Yongco, Carlos Sumabat, Cleg Moukengue, and Paul Manalang are all in the Team B roster
^The game was discontinued after a bench-clearing brawl between UST and Enderun
Elimination games were played in a double round-robin format. All games were aired on ABS-CBN Sports and Action and Liga. The first game of the Finals series was aired on ABS-CBN and ABS-CBN Sports and Action.
Zach Huang and Enric Caunan joined the 2023 PBA draft and were selected in the fourth and eighth rounds, respectively. Huang was picked 43rd overall by the Luigi Trillo-led Meralco Bolts team, while Caunan ended up with the Johnedel Cardel-coached Terrafirma Dyip team as the 70th pick of the draft on September 17, 2013.[27]
