5 players to watch out for in the second round of UAAP Season 88

The UAAP’s 88th season is halfway done and the NU Bulldogs have surprisingly taken the top spot in the standings with a 6-1 win-loss record. Teams like the Ateneo Blue Eagles, UST Growling Tigers, and De La Salle Green Archers follow behind, while defending champions UP Fighting Maroons are still finding their footing without JD Cagulangan.

The season is turning out to be one of the most unpredictable in recent memory, as many players have stepped up, such as Nic Cabanero, who fixed his “hero-ball” ways to become a consistent leader for UST on their quest for a long-awaited championship. One-and-done Kymani Ladi has also stepped up to become the next Ateneo star. Other players in Mike Phillips, foreign student-athlete (FSA) Precious Momowei, and Janrey Pasaol asserted themselves as the key cogs in their respective teams.

With many storylines surrounding this season, here is a look at the players who have the most to prove in the second round:

LOOK: The UAAP releases the second round schedule of the Season 88 basketball tournaments, which will still be held in three venues: the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, and UST Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila. | @cjmarquez_ pic.twitter.com/25czAvr5g0

— NewsWatch Plus PH (@newswatchplusph) October 21, 2025

Jake Figueroa

NU’s first-place finish in the first round is a testament to the culture that head coach Jeff Napa has instilled in Sampaloc. They have sunk the most field goals this season while also being a steady force on the defensive end. The Bulldogs have become one of the most defensively sound teams in the UAAP, but the main force that has propelled NU from being Final Four hopefuls to legitimate championship contenders is senior Jake Figueroa.

The do-it-all guard has shown time and time again that he can be depended upon in crunch time. With all the attention to the other stars in the league, Figueroa has reminded everyone with every clutch bucket and crucial stop that he and the Bulldogs are not to be underestimated.

Averaging 15.43 points in the first round, the Alpha Bulldog has shown no signs of slowing down as the Bulldogs look to return to the Final Four. Figueroa has shown not only that is he ready for the professional level, he is also deserving of a Gilas Pilipinas call-up.

Collins Akowe

Heading into the season, there were doubts about whether Collins Akowe could bring his MVP and Best FSA form to the college level. With just one game in UST’s opener against defending champions UP, the questions turned into whether he can do what past FSAs from Espana failed to do: lead the Tigers to a championship.

Akowe currently stands as a frontrunner for the league’s Best FSA award and a spot in the Elite Team. The 6’10 big man eliminated UST’s size problem in the past while also allowing head coach Pido Jarencio to fully utilize his loaded roster to its potential. 

Akowe’s dominance, however, has shown glimpses of slowing down against double teams. His footwork, though great on one-on-ones, has largely been exposed when coupled with defenders. The first round was just a taste of what Akowe can become, and the second round will be a chance for the Nigerian to show that he can adapt and add levels to his already-powerful game.

Drayton Caoile

UE’s chance to break the longest Final Four drought in the UAAP seems far-fetched given their 0-7 record and sharpshooter Welo Lingolingo and head coach Chris Gavina’s suspensions, but these Red Warriors have shown they refuse to quit.

Most of their losses have been close contests in which UE fails to sustain its offense. This is where one-and-done guard Drayton Caoile can come in handy for the depleted Red Warriors. The former Corban University guard showed glimpses of his shotmaking against UST, but he needs to do more offensively, specifically in the playmaking department. John Abate is still healthy and trying not to end his collegiate career winless, and Momowei can still dominate the league when given the proper tools to do so.

Give Caoile the keys on offense and see what he can do. The season will unlikely to be turned around for a Final Four spot, but it could still be saved with a much-awaited win. 

Jacob Cortez

From becoming one of the most feared rosters heading into the season to a wounded deer finding itself in the headlights. The Green Archer’s Season 88 has been eventful for all the wrong reasons. Anticipated transferees Mason Amos and Kean Baclaan’s torn MCLs are potential season-enders to some teams, where their expectations come crashing down. But this is DLSU we’re talking about, and they still have another premier transferee in Jacob Cortez.

Phillips is the King Archer this season and has been a steady leader in Taft, but it can be argued that it is Cortez who has the most expectations this season. His name, championship-winning season in San Beda, and overall skillset have made Cortez one of the most talked-about players in the UAAP, and not once in the first round did he look uncomfortable. 

The second round will reveal how Cortez can lead the Green Archers alongside Phillips, as well as being the hardest test Topex Robinson will face as DLSU’s head tactician. Cortez bringing a wounded La Salle back to the Finals might just be as impressive as his father leading the same school to two championships in the past.

Rey Remogat

No other team’s Season 88 is as unpredictable as the defending champions. After starting the season looking like a shell of its former self and losing two straight games, the Fighting Maroons have climbed back to earn a 4-3 record in the standings. The team is still headed by its seniors Gerry Abadiano, Harold Alarcon, and Janjan Felicilda, but they still need a tide-and-true star. 

Rey Remogat was expected to fill the hole left by former skipper JD Cagulangan, but his slow start proved that he still has a long way to go. The former Red Warrior has since shown he can return to his firecracker self, but still needs to adjust to head coach Goldwin Monteverde’s system.

Monteverde has already adjusted to Remogat, giving the ball in his hands and allowing him to facilitate and make plays. Their three-game winning streak after the horrid start was a testament to Remogat and the Fighting Maroons’ resiliency, but it won’t be enough, as shown by their defeat to the depleted Green Archers in the final game of the first round.

For State U to give its decorated seniors the proper farewells they truly deserve, Remogat must accelerate his adjustment period to the team and become the star he was hyped to be heading into the season.

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