Champions of the regular season yes but also stuttering: UL Eagles coach Mark Keenan is the most concerned man in Irish basketball right now.

They should have spent the week celebrating. Basking in the glory of securing the league. Letting off steam ahead of the Champions Trophy.

You know the line: “We’re just concentrating on our own game...”

Everything else tends to suffer by comparison in Cork when SuperLeague pride is at stake between UCC Demons and Neptune.

It won’t compensate for the Cup final defeat, and it wasn’t especially pretty.

A superb performance from UL Eagles star guard Rob Taylor helped his team to a crucial win in their top of the table Nivea For Men’s SuperLeague clash with UCC Demons.

It was a shock when they beat UCC Demons in the cup semi-final.

Who’s going to blink first? That’s got to be the question both UL Eagles and UCC Demons are asking as they face into another pivotal weekend in the Nivea for Men’s SuperLeague.

There’s just one game in the Nivea For Men’s SuperLeague this weekend as Moycullen welcome Dublin Inter to Galway tomorrow.

The normally unflappable UL Eagles had their wings clipped at the weekend by DCU Saints to hold a place in the top four in the Nivea For Men’s SuperLeague.

Two of the Nivea for Men’s SuperLeague powerhouses will go head to head tomorrow as last season’s league finalists, DCU Saints and UL Eagles, meet at DCU (7pm).

UCC Demons continue to set the pace in the Nivea For Men’s SuperLeague, notching their sixth consecutive win of the season with victory over Killester yesterday.

UCC Demons may be protecting a 100% start to the Nivea For Men SuperLeague when they host Killester at the Mardyke Arena in Cork on Sunday but coach Paul Kelleher is adamant his side have plenty of room for improvement.

It may be early in the season, but that didn’t stop Neptune coach Mark Scannell breathing a sigh of relief in the wake of a first Superleague win of the season.

It’s being billed as the biggest game of the season so far when undefeated UL Eagles and UCC Demons meet tomorrow and the mind games have already started.

It was billed as derby weekend and clubs all over Ireland will be standing that little bit taller after some classic grudge matches were settled.

The first week of the Nivea Women’s Superleague season led to the first big blunder of the year when the referees assigned to DCU Mercy and Ulster Rockets travelled to Waterford instead of Belfast for the game.

Trends repeat, you know. Be it fashion, music or Kilkenny winning the hurling All-Ireland, once you get in there it’s hard to shift you.

Belfast Star have withdrawn from the Nivea For Men’s SuperLeague.

Bord Gais Neptune ensured second place in the Southern Conference ahead of UL Eagles in the final game of the season.

UCC Demons may have secured the southern conference title but they won’t be resting on their laurels when they entertain Bord Gáis Neptune in the Nivea for Men SuperLeague and what will be the final derby of theseason at the Mardyke Arena tonight (7.30pm).

UCC Demons face a tough weekend as they travel to take on Belfast Star twice in less than 24 hours in the Nivea for Men’s SuperLeague.

11890 Killester required over-time before emerging victorious over Bord Gais Neptune by the narrowest of margins, 97-96, in the Nivea for Men SuperLeague clash at the IWA in Clontarf on Saturday evening.

Bord Gáis Neptune kept the pressure on at the top of the Southern Conference with a comfortable victory over UCD Marian.

UCC Demons could make for an interesting run-in when they host Northern Conference leaders and Nivea for Men SuperLeague favourites, DCU Saints, at the Mardyke Arena on Sunday afternoon (3.15pm).

THERE was no refuge for beaten cup semi-finalists Bord Gáis Neptune and 11890 Killester on their return to the Nivea for Men SuperLeague.

UCC DEMONS would not expect to be over-extended when they host Belfast Star in the Nivea for Men SuperLeague this weekend.

Basketball's Northern Conference leaders DCU Saints travel to Cork on Sunday to play Bord Gais Neptune in the Nivea for Men’s SuperLeague.

THERE were mixed fortunes for the Cork sides, Bord Gáis Neptune and UCC Demons, ahead of their National Cup semi-final next Sunday.

UCC DEMONS return to the revamped Mardyke Arena on Sunday (3.30pm) but 11890 Killester, the defending Nivea for Men SuperLeague champions, can expect anything but a warm welcome.

EVERY sport has a major rivalry, be it Cork-Kerry or Dublin-Meath in Gaelic football or Munster-Leinster in rugby but the Bord Gáis Neptune versus UCC Demons clash in basketball is up there with them (7pm tonight, Neptune Stadium).

REVENGE will be on the minds of two clubs this weekend in the Nivea for Men SuperLeague.

NEW signing Robert Taylor would appear to have solved the outstanding problem for UL Eagles’ coach Mark Keenan, who watched him contribute 21 points as they beat Bord Gáis Neptune 76-71 to return to the top of the Nivea for Men SuperLeague Southern Conference.

IF THERE are questions being asked about Bord Gáis Neptune and UL Eagles a lot of them will be answered at Neptune Stadium on Sunday afternoon when they cross paths in the Nivea for Men SuperLeague.

BORD Gáis Neptune coach Mark Scannell set his side a target of 80 points against defending champions 11890 Killester in yesterday’s Nivea for Men SuperLeague clash at Neptune Stadium and, while they did not achieve that, a close 73-72 victory was more than satisfactory.

UL EAGLES will be bidding to extend their winning run when they face DCU Saints at the UL Arena tomorrow night and then head to Galway on Sunday to play Moycullen.

REIGNING champions, 11890 Killester, got their defence of the Nivea for Men SuperLeague title back on track on Saturday night with an emphatic 100-86 win over UCC Demons.

TOMORROW night’s Dublin derby at Clontarf has all the ingredients for a thrilling encounter as joint leaders, 11890 Killester, take on Northside rivals, DCU Saints, for control of the Nivea for Men SuperLeague.

IT IS the meeting of last season’s men’s Superleague finalists, but it’s not a defining clash in terms of this campaign, Killester coach Darren O’Neill has insisted ahead of Sunday’s trip to Neptune Stadium in Cork.

THERE was a dramatic end to yesterday’s NIVEA for MENSuperLeague clash at the Parochial Hall when the Technical officials stopped the game and awarded the points to 11890 Killester despite the fact UCC Demons were leading 60-42 after condensation was discovered on the floor.

THERE were perfect results for new coaches, Darren O’Neill and Mark Scannell, as the reigning NIVEA for MEN SuperLeague champions, 11890 Killester, Bord Gais Neptune, got the new basketball season under way.

Reigning Nivea For Men’s SuperLeague champions 11890 Killester got their defence off to a winning start at home to Belfast Star, while Bord Gais Neptune sent out an early marker with a comprehensive win at home to UL Eagles.

FEW people can be as eager for the 2011-12 Nivea for Men’s SuperLeague to get going this weekend as new UL Eagles coach Mark Keenan.