Preview: Men's Division One Week 6

A big week in Round Six of the Men's Division One gets underway early on Saturday afternoon. 

Ulster University v Killarney Cougars, Saturday, 16:15

It hasn’t been a straightforward adjustment for Ulster University since they dropped down from the Men’s Super League, but a win against an 0-5 Killarney Cougars can bring them back to 3-3 and allow them to leapfrog three North Conference rivals in the process should other results go their way.

Curtis Larousse and Natan Karren came up big when needed in the 4^th quarter against Carrick Cruisers last time out. Larousse is currently tied with Michael Hayes as the leading rebounder in the Men’s Division One, averaging 12.8 through four games.

Cougars losing run continued with a heavy defeat to Drogheda Wolves in the Presidents’ Cup last time out. They are one of three teams without a win so far this season and need to address that stat sooner rather than later.  Kani Glover and Joshua Strongman will carry their biggest threat along with Gerdas Malukas.

The last time these two met was in Jordanstown in January 2023, a 82-48 win for the home side on that occasion.

ND Audit Portlaoise Panthers v Titans BC, Saturday, 17:00

The tie of this round of fixtures will see a cross-conference matchup of unbeaten teams in ND Audit Portlaoise Panthers (4-0) and Titans BC (5-0), as both look to cement their status as promotion contenders early in the campaign. 

Panthers come into the game with the second-best defense in the Men’s Division One (65.8 ppg) and with the momentum of a fantastic overtime win over Maigh Cuilinn on the road in the cup six days ago. Picking up Xabier Arriaga from SETU Carlow has helped on both ends of the floor, while Aleksander Kovacevic, James Phelan, Kevin O’Donoghue and Liam Kinsella have all been reliable when called upon so far this season.

Titans scored 50 points in the first half en route to success against SETU Waterford Vikings in their last game. Michael Hayes has been impressive during their unbeaten stretch and sits 5^th in the league in scoring despite only taking six shots from beyond the arc. Their foundations are built around a very strong, young irish core though. Fortune Igbokwe, Declan Gbinigie, Joseph Coughlan  and Viktor Tashev at the point are all current or former youth internationals.

Limerick Celtics v Carrick Cruisers, Saturday, 19:00

Limerick Celtics currently sit in pole position in the South Conference and stand to extend their lead on their rivals if everything goes to form with Men’s Division One debutantes Carrick Cruisers arrive in town.

Celtics have been a force offensively this season, averaging a league leading 97ppg in their first five games. Their ability to start strong, they’ve scored at least 25 points in the opening quarter of each league matchup, setting them up strongly for success and forcing teams to chase them down from the outset. Ariyon Williams has proved a shrewd pick up and tops the charts in assists with 6.4 per game to go with just over 30ppg. Finn Hughes has been another who is adapting well to life in Men’s Division One following his switch from EJ Sligo All-Stars.

Cruisers make the long trip south from Monaghan with some much needed momentum following their Presidents’ Cup win over Team North West. If they can translate that form to a win on the road here, it would amount to one of the biggest shocks in the National League so far this year. They have been right there in all but one of their league defeats to date though, Benyi Gomez, Shamus Kahl and Ramunas Ramanauskas will be determined to get their side over the line in a close game as soon as possible.

Moy Tolka Rovers v Tipp Talons, Saturday, 19:00 

Moy Tolka Rovers are one off shooting day against Ulster University away from a perfect start in league play, beating three teams with 2-3 records currently in the process.

They’ve topped 100 points twice in that stretch two, showcasing themselves as one of the prominent attacking threats in the division. Mike Wallace is proving equally as effective in his second season in Ireland, while Irish underage international Daniel Ayoade has stepped up his play since the start of the campaign, averaging a very helpful 16 points per game. 

Tipp Talons are the last of the trio of teams without a win since joining the Men’s Division One, though they will feel that they could have left Limerick and Killarney with a win earlier this season. It was another defeat against Mater Private Malahide in the cup, but the spread of scoring through Sammy Bah, Justin Wickham, Miles Felletti and Shemarri Miles will give hope to head coach Niall Berry that a maiden win isn’t far away for Talons.   

Limerick Sport Eagles v Joels Dublin Lions, Saturday, 19:00 

Limerick Sport Eagles aren’t where they want to be in the league through five games (1-5), but a much needed win in the Presidents’ Cup, a competition in which they reached the final last year, should bring a good feeling to the group ahead of the visit of Lions. 

Nikola Ivkovic, Nacho Folgueiras and Ajay Ryan Walsh combined for 36 points and 12 boards in a 96-83 win for Eagles when the sides last met in January of this year. If Alexander Carlisle can repeat his scoring exploits of a week ago – he had 28 points in their cup win – then they will put themselves in a good position to move up a couple of positions in the South Conference with a win.

Joels Dublin Lions are looking to achieve something they never managed last season, back to back road wins. They matched their total from the 2023/24 campaign by taking down Drogehda Wolves in their previous league outing, before falling to Limerick Celtics in the cup last weekend. Irish international Aidan Igiehon appears to be finding his feet back with his hometown club and he will be keen to add to his recent good performances ahead of the upcoming international window. Tiernan Howe went off for a season high 24 points on 7/9 shooting from three in that game. A repeat of that display could make Lions a difficult proposition to repel come 21:00 on Saturday night. 

Maigh Cuilinn v Mater Private Malahide, Saturday, 19:30

Maigh Cuilinn moved above .500 on the season with a 10-point success over Tipp Talons last time out, but there isn’t much room to manoeuvre in a packed South Conference. 

They currently sit in the fourth and final end of season playoff spot behind Limerick Celtics, Titans BC and Scotts Lakers Killarney and won’t want to lose touch should the top two extend their unbeaten starts this weekend. Going out of the cup on home court will have stung head coach Paul O’Brien, but in Grant Olsson he has a premiere player at this level. Aitor Munoz also features in the top 10 in rebounding, while Ivan Basic has also been an effective presence for the Galway side.

Mater Private Malahide can join Moy Tolka Rovers in second place in the North Conference should they pick up their second away win of the season. They corrected a two game skid with a win in the Presidents’ Cup last weekend on the back of Murray Hendry’s best performance since joining the club. The big Scotsman is forming a potent partnership with Romonn Nelson, while Irish guard Sean Fitzpatrick continues to grow into his role as their leading facilitator.

Drogheda Wolves v Scotts Lakers Killarney, Saturday, 19:30

The two leading scorers in the Men’s Division One will go head to head when Drogheda Wolves host Scotts Lakers Killarney.

This will only be Drogheda Wolves second home league fixture of the season, having been handed a difficult three game road stretch to start. They might be reasonably pleased therefore, to be sitting at 2-3 with a cup win under their belt.

Christian Simmons has picked up where he left off from a scoring perspective with Team North West in his rookie season. He currently sits second in the Men’s Division One in points, but figuring out how to get enough complimentary scoring in the rotation behind him is going to be the challenge. Both their wins have come when multiple players have reached 15 points or more behind Simmons in the boxscore.

Scotts Lakers Killarney only blemish this season has come against a very good Titans BC side and another win here will only add to their belief that they can be a real threat in the playoffs later in the year. Mikah Blackwell has been a force for them in his rookie season. 

SETU Waterford Vikings v Team NorthWest, Saturday, 19:30

The reverse of this 323km away trip went to SETU Waterford Vikings last season in a tight 73-72 contest, but they are much changed rosters that will face off on the banks of the River Suir this Saturday night.

Team NorthWest are 1-3 on the road this season, that solitary win coming in their first outing against Joels Dublin Lions. Shakeil Bertrand and Tyler Mutemasango have been their leading lights so far and figure to match up with James Aboaba and Aaron Jackson on the other end of the floor.

A win for either team here moves them back to 3-3 in the Men’s Division One and will have them looking at an upward trajectory as the season gets into full gear building up to the Christmas period.

Men's Division One 24-25

South Conference

North Conference