Mike Phillips leads UAAP MVP race halfway through Season 88

Metro Manila, Philippines - Mike Phillips is on track to win the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award of the UAAP Season 88 men's basketball tournament.

If he succeeds, it will be the third straight year that a player from the De La Salle University Green Archers has captured the highest individual honor after Kevin Quiambao won it in Seasons 86 and 87.

Phillips is leading the race with 84.429 statistical points, averaging 13.3 points, a league-best 15.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in seven games.

Closely trailing Phillips is University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers' Collins Akowe with 84.286 statistical points, followed by Far Eastern University's Janrey Pasaol with 80.429 statistical points, University of the East's Precious Momowei with 80 statistical points, and Jake Figueroa of National University with 77.429 statistical points.

Akowe and Momowei will not be eligible to win the MVP plum as the UAAP introduced a new rule to honor the top performing non-Filipino athletes this season competing across the league, the Best Foreign Student-Athlete award.