No. 1, But Not Done: UST’s Chase for the Pinoyliga The Big Dance 2026 Glory

The No. 1 seed is still standing, and the UST Growling Tigers are making it clear that their place at the top was never just handed to them.

This UST squad is more than simply a "talented" one. It is built on players who have bought into their roles, whether that means running the offense, knocking down shots, battling for rebounds, or owning the paint. Different responsibilities, one identity: Pride. Puso. Palaban.

At the point guard spot, senior Mark Llemit and incoming rookie Kirk Canete have taken on the challenge of steering a lineup loaded with firepower. Both products of the UST Tiger Cubs program, their job is not simply to bring the ball down but to make sure that all of UST's weapons are in position to do damage.

Then come the wings.

Gilas Pilipinas players Gelo Crisostomo and Koji Buenaflor represent another chapter in Pido Jarencio's long-standing tradition of developing talented wings in España. UST has produced some of the UAAP's most notable perimeter players through the years, and now Crisostomo and Buenaflor are looking to write their own names into that lineage.

Beyond the arc, Amiel Acido gives the Tigers another problem for opposing defenses to solve. One of collegiate basketball's most dangerous shooters from deep, Acido has fully embraced the sniper role by getting buckets from the rainbow territory all preseason long.

Inside, Collins Akowe gives UST its best anchor.

After bagging the UAAP Rookie of the Year and Mythical Five selection awards last season, Akowe enters another campaign with expectations that match his reputation. He has already established himself among the league's best. Now, the multi-awarded FSA is looking to take another step, with the bigger objective of helping the Tigers make a deeper run when it matters most.

And then there is Landyn Jumawan.

The Fil-Hawaiian one-and-done made his first major statement in his first game in a UST uniform during the Pinoyliga Collegiate Cup Season 5 against JRU by drilling a game-winning triple. But that moment was only the beginning.

When the stage got bigger in the Pinoyliga The Big Dance 2026, Jumawan showed up again.

Facing LPU in the Elite Eight, he drained three triples in the final quarter to help push the Tigers into the Final Four. From that clutch three to his latest surge, Jumawan has repeatedly shown that the moment does not intimidate him.

Guiding all of them is the man who knows exactly what it means to carry the Pontifical and Royal’s Black and Gold.

Pido Jarencio has lived the Growling Tigers tradition from both sides of the court. As a player and now as a coach, he understands the expectations that come with representing España. His challenge this season is to turn that tradition into another championship run.

Now, the No. 1 seed faces a familiar obstacle. Ateneo awaits in the Final Four.

The Tigers have already proven why they belong at the top. But seeding only tells the story of what got them here.

What happens next will determine what that No. 1 spot is ultimately worth.

Beat Ateneo, and UST moves into the championship game.

Win twice from this point, and the Tigers will have done more than finish No. 1 in the standings. They will have finished on top of the Pinoyliga The Big Dance 2026.

Still No. 1. Still in the hunt. And now, just two wins away from the crown.