The madness of March rolled on Thursday, delivering three stunning upsets that produced an unlikely “Fearless 4” in the 2026 Smart-NBTC National Finals.
In the evening’s main event, University of Santo Tomas knocked out last year’s finalist Phenom New Zealand-Bluefire with a thrilling 88-86 victory to advance to the semifinals.
It was a revenge win for the Tiger Cubs, who were eliminated by the same Kieffer Alas-led squad in last year’s semifinals, 89–72.
Kirk Canete, a member of the UAAP Season 88 Elite Team, led UST with 21 points, 11 assists, and three steals.
Fresh off being dethroned in the UAAP Season 88 boys’ basketball tournament, the Tiger Cubs used a 7-1 run to turn a one-point lead into a 75-67 advantage late in the third quarter.
Canete’s driving layup kept UST x D’Generals ahead by six, 88-82, with under a minute remaining. However, Alas and Ram Sharma responded, pulling Phenom within two, 86-88, with 4.4 seconds left.
After a timeout, UST’s inbound pass to Canete was nearly intercepted by Alas. The composed guard maintained possession and swung the ball across the court to Charles Esteban, who secured it as the Tiger Cubs held on for the win.
Jetlee Melano provided strong support with 19 points and nine rebounds.
(C) NBTC
UST will face Cebu’s University of San Jose-Recoletos, which pulled off an upset of its own with an 83-80 victory over Arellano.
The Jaguars leaned on Krc Da Silva, who delivered 22 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, to outlast the Braves and register the best performance by a Cebuano side since Jared Bahay was still playing for Sacred Heart School.
(C) NBTC
Not to be outdone, Arceegee-St. Clare pulled off a 64-58 upset over NCAA champion Letran.
Gian Carlo Gamala starred for the Saints with 15 points, six rebounds, and three steals, helping the Metro Manila regional champions earn another shot at a shocker—this time against heavily favored reigning titlist Fil-Am Nation.
(C) NBTC
The stacked squad of Filipino-Americans, however, ended the Cinderella run of Pasig’s D’Generals x Dynamix Creative, 108-98.
Blaze Johnson flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists while Quali Giran posted 21 points, seven assists, and four rebounds, as Fil-Am Nation caught fire from beyond the arc with 16 triples.
That shooting proved decisive, as a 17-5 run turned a slim 59-57 lead into a comfortable 76-62 cushion late in the third quarter.
Fil-Am never looked back, extending their title defense by at least one more game.
