WHEN the announcement of his return to University of Santo Tomas was met with equal parts excitement and jubilation in España, Tigers coach Pido Jarencio tried to play down the expectations with a comment that went viral.
"Makapanalo lang kami ng isa, goal na namin 'yon," the returning coach of the UST Tigers' last UAAP champion team from 2006 says chuckling. "Makadalawa [na panalo], sobra na yon. Basta one game at a time ... malay natin, di ba?"
WATCH:
What do you know, months later the last-place UST Tigers are right on course to achieving Jarencio's preseason goal, set in tongue-in-cheek fashion as it may have been.
With two games left in the two-round prelims, the Tigers are on a five-game losing streak and have lost 11 of 12 games this season while enduring the ignominy of a 19-game winless slump during the course of the campaign.
READ: UST Tigers end dry spell at expense of Tamaraws
To avoid hitting Jarencio's target, the Tigers must pull off another win against either league-leading University of the Philippines or Far Eastern University, incidentally the only team it beat this season, 68-62, last October 22.
However, beating both or either one should be a tall task for the Tigers, considering they are in last place in almost all defensive categories this season and are equally challenged when it comes to offense.
How bad are the Tigers this season?
They are allowing the most points to opponents at 83 per game and are in last place in field goal percentage allowed (41.52 percent), most assists allowed (21.17 per game), most second-chance points (13.58 pg), and most bench points (39.42 pg).
Offensively, they are the worst three-point shooting team with just 63 made in 12 games at a 24.51 percent clip. The Tigers also have the least rebounds among the eight teams (493 or 41.08 a game) and second least assists (171 at 14.25 per game).
Still, Tigers fans are being patient since it has been made clear from the start that this is a transition year for the school, which expects to return to prominence next season behind the financial backing of San Miguel Corp. through Alfrancis Chua and a host of blue-chip recruits currently undergoing residency led by Forthsky Padrigao.
Besides, even if they don't win another game this season, Pido's Tigers will still match UST's 1-13 record last season in Bal David's short spell as coach.
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