The UAAP basketball championships are basketball tournaments held from September to December by the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, and the men's tournament is the flagship tournament of the UAAP. Basketball is a mandatory sport for all schools. All eight universities participate in the men's, women's, and high school (boys') tournaments.
History The tournament is divided into two divisions, the collegiate (formerly seniors') division, which is further subdivided into the men's and the women's tournament, and the high school (formerly juniors'), which is subdivided into boys' and girls' tournaments.
The UAAP basketball sport has a rich history of schools establishing dynasties. UE won a record seven consecutive basketball titles from 1965 to 1971 albeit the third one was a shared championship with UST. Ateneo had a 5-year winning streak from 2008 to 2012. Two other schools ended their championship streak at four. UST won it from 1993 to 1996 and La Salle from 1998 to 2001.
The championship in basketball, with its major overall points contribution to the annual UAAP general championship tallies, is one of the most coveted titles. The boys' tournament was called the "juniors' tournament" prior to 2019. The tournament was held concurrently with the seniors' tournaments in the first semester of the academic year (July to October), until 2014, when it was moved to the second semester (November to March).
Tournament format Pre-first expansion format Before the UAAP's first expansion, teams would play a single round robin where the team with the best record would be crowned champions. If two or more teams are tied, they would be declared co-champions. No quotient system or knockout games were used to break ties.
First expansion format Teams play a double round robin in a split season format. The winner of the first round play the winner of the second round in a 1-game championship to determine the champion. Ties for round winners are broken by knockout games.
If a team wins both rounds, it is automatically declared the champion, regardless if it was a sweep or not. If a team fails to win either rounds, but ends up with a better over-all record than either of the round winners, that team will challenge the second round winner for a championship slot against the first round winner.
Second and third expansion format Teams play a double round robin. The top two teams (over-all record) after the double round robin play in the Finals with the No. 1 seed holding a one-win advantage in a best-of-three series. If a team sweeps the double round robin, they are automatically declared champions.
Final four format
The tournament currently uses the Final Four format, first implemented in 1993. The Tournament begins with a double round-robin elimination, where a team plays the other teams twice to determine which teams will qualify for the semi-finals (also called Final Four). The top four finishers enter the Final Four phase.
Sweeper's advantage Previously, if a team sweeps the double round robin, they are automatically declared champions. However, after UST's sweep in 1993, it was modified so that the sweeping team would automatically qualify for the best-of-three Finals. After UE swept their way to the Finals in 2007, it was again modified so that the sweeping team would now automatically qualify for a best-of-five Finals, holding a 1–0 game advantage.
Regular final four If no team sweeps the double round eliminations, the four top teams (and tiebreakers, if applicable) qualify for the regular postseason.
The regular post-season is divided into the semi-finals (also called the Final Four) and the Finals. In the semi-Finals, the two top seeds (Nos. 1 & 2) have a twice-to-beat advantage against the lower seeds (Nos. 3 & 4).
The surviving teams face off in a best-of-three finals, where the team which notches two wins first wins the championship.
Step ladder final four From 2008 to 2015, if a team wins all of the games in the elimination round, the step ladder format is used, where the unbeaten team has a bye up to the best-of-5 finals holding a 1–0 game advantage. The third and fourth seed will figure in a knockout game; the winner of that game will face the second seed with a twice-to-win disadvantage. The surviving team meets the first seed at the Finals. The format was modified in 2016, where the unbeaten team proceeds to the best-of-3 finals without any playoff advantage, but the knockout games in all of the three semifinal seeds remain in place.
List of basketball champions +KeyIndicatorMeaning School won the championship in all divisions in the same year School won double or triple (but not all) championship in the same year(No.) Number of titles(D.S.) Held as a demonstration sport
Early years The foundation of the UAAP by FEU, NU, UP and UST in 1938.
SeasonYearMen'sWomen'sJuniors'11938–39 (1) rowspan=3 rowspan=3 21939–40 (2) (1) (1)31940–41 (2)41941–42 rowspan=5 colspan=3 51942–4361943–4471944–4581945–4691946–47 (3) rowspan=4 rowspan=2 101947–48 (3) (4)111948–49 (5) (1)121949–50 (6) (2)131950–51 (4) (1) 141951–52 (7) (2) (3)
First expansion Adamson University, Manila Central University, University of Manila and University of the East were admitted in 1952 on a two-year probationary membership status. Only UE and MCU retained as permanent member. However, MCU pulled-out in 1962. Adamson was readmitted into the association in 1970.
SeasonYearMen'sWomen'sJuniors'151952–53 (8) (3) (4)161953–54 (9) (4) (5)171954–55 (1) (1)181955–56 (10) 191956–57 (5) 201957–58 (1) 211958–59 (2) 221959–60 (11) 231960–61 (3) 241961–62 (6) 251962–63 (4) 261963–64 (5) (1)271964–65 (12) 281965–66 (6) 291966–67 (7) 301967–68 (8) (13) 311968–69 (9) 321969–70 (10) 331970–71 (11) (?) 341971–72 (12) (2)351972–73 (7) (1)361973–74 (8) 371974–75 (13) (3)381975–76 (14) (1)391976–77 (9) (1) 401977–78 (1) (2) (2)
Second expansion Ateneo was accepted as a member in 1978.
SeasonYearMen'sWomen'sJuniors'411978–79 (15) (3) (1)421979–80 (10) (1) (2)431980–81 (11) (4) (3)441981–82 (12) (5) (2)451982–83 (16) (6) (7)461983–84 (13) (7) (4)471984–85 (17) (2) (5)481985–86 (18) (3) (6)
Third expansion La Salle was accepted as a member in 1986.
SeasonYearMen'sWomen'sJuniors'491986–87 (2) (1) (7)501987–88 (1) (4) (6)511988–89 (2) (5) (3)521989–90 (1) (6) (4)531990–91 (2) (7) (5)541991–92 (14) (5) (6)551992–93 (15) (8) (7)
Final Four era
Introduction of the Final Four format.
SeasonYearMen'sWomen'sJuniors'561993–94 (14) (2) (8)571994–95 (15) (9) (8)581995–96 (16) (10) (8)591996–97 (17) (6) (9)601997–98 (16) (7) (9)611998–99 (3) (8) (10)621999–00 (4) (1) (10)632000–01 (5) (2) (11)642001–02 (6) (3) (11)652002–03 (3) (4) (1)662003–04 (17) (3) (12)672004–05 (18) (4) (13)682005–06 (19) (1) (1)692006–07 (18) (11) (14)702007–08 (7) (2) (2)712008–09 (4) (9) (15)722009–10 (5) (5) (16)732010–11 (6) (6) (17)742011–12 (7) (10) (4)752012–13 (8) (11) (7)762013–14 (8) (5) (5)772014–15 (2) (1) (18)782015–16 (20) (2) (6)792016–17 (9) (3) (8)802017–18 (9) (4) (19)812018–19 (10) (5) (7)
Inclusivity era In line with the association's commitment for inclusiveness, the tournament for girls' division was introduced in 2019, and a junior high school tournament was introduced in 2023. The tournament was renamed as the 16U boys' division in 2025, while the existing high school tournaments were renamed as 19U.
SeasonYearMen'sWomen's19U Boys'19U Girls'16U Boys'822019–20 (11) (6) (8) (1) (1) (D.S.) rowspan="4" 832020–21 colspan="4" 842021–22 (3) colspan="3" 852022–23 (12) (7) (9) rowspan="2" 862023–24 (10) (12) (9) (1) (D.S.)872024–25 (4) (8) (12) (2) (1)882025–26 (11) (13) (10) (3) (2)
Notes
Number of championships by school Including championships won when a tournament was a demonstration sport for Girls' and 16U tournament. University Men's Women's Boys' Girls' 16U Total 18 13 12 3 0 46 20 11 10 0 0 41 12 2 19 0 0 33 18 0 2 0 1 21 2 8 8 0 2 20 11 5 2 0 0 18 1 6 9 1 0 17 4 7 1 0 0 12 University of Manila 0 0 0 0 0 0 Manila Central University 0 0 0 0 0 0 Notes
Statistics Longest finals appearances Division Team Duration From Until Girls' Boys' Ateneo de Manila University Season 57 (1994) Season 67 (2004) Women's University of Santo Tomas Season 39 (1976) Season 58 (1995) Men's University of the East Season 20 (1957) Season 35 (1972)
Longest finals match-ups between two teams Division Teams Duration from until Girls' Boys' Ateneo de Manila University, University of Santo Tomas Season 57 (1994) Season 64 (2001) Women's University of Santo Tomas, University of the Philippines Season 39 (1976) Season 48 (1985) Men's University of the East, University of Santo Tomas Season 27 (1964) Season 34 (1971)
Longest championship streaks Division Team Streak Duration from until Men's University of the East 7 Season 28 (1965) Season 34 (1971)
Longest unshared championship streaks Division Team Streak Duration from until Girls' Boys' Adamson University 6 Season 51 (1988) Season 56 (1993) Women's National University 7 Season 77 (2014) Season 85 (2022) Men's Ateneo de Manila University 5 Season 71 (2008) Season 75 (2012)
Longest championship droughts Team Juniors' Women's Men's Adamson University years, since 1993 years, since 2010 years, since 1977 Ateneo de Manila University years, since 2018 years, since 2007 years, since 2022 De La Salle University years, since 2007 years, since 2013 years, since 2016 Far Eastern University years, since 2016 years, since 2012 years, since 2015 National University years, since 2020 years, since 2014 years, since 2014 University of the East years, since 1981 years, since 1952 years, since 1985 University of the Philippines years, since 2002 years, since 1983 years, since 2021 University of Santo Tomas years, since 2001 years, since 2006 years, since 2006
Elimination sweeps Division Team Season(s) Girls' Boys' Ateneo de Manila University Season 47 (1984), Season 49 (1986), Season 60 (1997), Season 62 (1999), Season 69 (2006), Season 73 (2010), Season 77 (2014), Season 80 (2017) National University Season 76 (2013), Season 78 (2015)Women's De La Salle University Season 65 (2002), Season 64 (2001) Far Eastern University Season 75 (2012) National University Season 77 (2014), Season 78 (2015), Season 79 (2016), Season 80 (2017), Season 81 (2018), Season 82 (2019) University of Santo Tomas Season 88 (2025) Men's Ateneo de Manila University Season 82 (2019) Far Eastern University Season 43 (1980) University of the East Season 49 (1986), Season 70 (2007) University of Santo Tomas Season 56 (1993)
The first ever sweep in UAAP basketball history was recorded by the FEU Tamaraws in 1980.
Championship streaks * Ongoing streak
+Men's tournament No. School Seasons 7 1965–66 to 1971–72 6 1939, 1940, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949 5 2008–09 to 2012–13 4 1998–99 to 2001–02 4 1993–94 to 1996–97 4 1946–47 to 1949–50 3 2017–18 to 2019–20 3 2003–04 to 2005–06 3 1979–80 to 1981–82 3 1951–52 to 1953–54 2 1991–92 to 1992–93 2 1989–90 to 1990–91 2 1987–88 to 1988–89 2 1984–85 to 1985–86 2 1974–75 to 1975–76 2 1972–73 to 1973–74 2 1957–58 to 1958–59 2 1939–40 to 1940–41
+Boys' tournament No. School Seasons 6 1988–89 to 1993–94 6 1948–49 to 1953–54 41983–84 to 1986–87 32008–09 to 2010–11 31978–79 to 1980–81 22018–19 to 2019–20 22003–04 to 2004–05 21999–00 to 2000–01
+Women's tournament No. School Seasons 7 2014–15 to 2022–23 6 1939–40 to 1949–50 4 1999–00 to 2002–03 41987–88 to 1990–91 41980–81 to 1983–84 41950–51 to 1953–54 31996–97 to 1998–99 31976–77 to 1978–79 22011–12 to 2012–13 22009–10 to 2010–11 22003–04 to 2004–05 21994–95 to 1995–96
Notes
a. UE Red Warriors own the longest championship run in Seniors Basketball, with seven straight championships (including a shared title), from 1965 to 1971. b. Includes the 2004 championship, where De La Salle forfeited the championship due to the fielding of ineligible players.