The big two meet in the Nivea for Men’s SuperLeague play-off semi-final at the Mardyke on Sunday.

THE expected pairing for the Women’s SuperLeague National Cup final came together at the weekend when the raging hot favourites, UL, defeated former champions Montenotte Hotel Cork 71-59, and defending champions DCU Mercy, coasted to a 68-30 win over 11890 Killester in the other semi-final.

CORMAC O’DONOGHUE and James Weldon played basketball together with Gleneagle Lakers in Killarney but will put that friendship aside this evening.

IRISH basketball will switch from the bread and butter of the SuperLeague to the caviar of the Cup this weekend when the various semi-finals will be shared out between Neptune Stadium and The Parochial Hall.

GER NOONAN keeps rolling back the years and he did it again on Saturday night when he played the starring role as Bord Gáis Neptune confirmed the cup result was no fluke when they collected the valuable Nivea for Men SuperLeague points with a 99-96 win away to Belfast Star.

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.

DCU SAINTS put their unbeaten record on the line when they entertain southern conference leaders Bord Gais Neptune at the DCU Sports complex tomorrow.

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.

BEYOND the confines of women’s or schools basketball, he may not have instant recognition, but there can’t be many coaches who have made a greater contribution to the sport over the last three decades than Jimmy Diggins of Tralee.

UCC DEMONS will have revenge on their minds against NIVEA for MEN SuperLeague favourites, Abrakebabra Tigers, at the Mardyke Arena tonight.

STEPHEN McCARTHY will add a new and exciting dimension to an illustrious basketball career when he leads Neptune into their critical SuperLeague game against Merry Monk Ballina as coach in Cork tomorrow night.

LIMERICK LIONS produced the shock result of the opening weekend of basketball’s men’s SuperLeague by pipping Merry Monk by a point in Ballina — and now their coach, Matt Hall, wants more of the same for the visit of DCU Saints to the UL Arena tomorrow night.

IT may have done precious little to ease the disappointment of their cup final defeat two weeks earlier, but UCC Demons handed Abrakebabra Tigers a clear warning that their Nivea for Men SuperLeague ambitions could be under threat when they visited the Mardyke Arena yesterday afternoon.

REIGNING champions UCC Demons and challengers Abrakebabra Tigers sharpened the competitive edge in advance of next Sunday’s National Cup final with solid NIVEA for MEN SuperLeague victories over the weekend.

NEPTUNE coach Sasa Punosevac feels they can spring a surprise when they travel to Clontarf tomorrow night to play his old club, DART Killester, in the SuperLeague Cup qualifier.

WHAT a difference a year can make. Twelve months ago, the teams from the Southern Conference were dominating the NIVEA for Men Superleague but, after taking a hammering over the cross-conference weekend, a lot of them are heading into the first round of the cup this weekend with one eye on the back door.

NEW NEPTUNE coach Sasa Punosevac, will be looking for more of the same when his side entertain his old club, DART Killester, at Neptune Stadium on Sunday.

UCC Demons 113 Gleneagle Lakers 120

LIMERICK Lions could be playing UCC Demons in a top of the table clash at The Mardyke Arena on Monday afternoon - that’s if they beat Gleneagle Lakers at UL Arena tomorrow night.

PAT GLOVER should be playing for UCD against Limerick tomorrow night in the quarter-final of the Superleague Men’s National Cup, but will now be courtside bidding to halt their recent run of poor results.

First up in basketball this weekend is National Cup action when UCC Demons take on local rivals Neptune in a backyard brawl at the Mardyke Arena in Cork on Friday night to determine which team advances through the knockout stages.