Preview: Belfast Star looking to get playoff-ready in Domino’s Men’s Super League

Belfast Star have not seen defeat in the Domino’s Men’s Super League since before Christmas, winning five league games on the bounce and sitting at the top of the table. This weekend, Star will take on another in-form side in UCC Demons. Star head coach Adrian Fulton is wary of the challenge Demons possess.

Speaking on Demons, Fulton said “Over the past month, Demons have shown the kind of form that everyone expects from them as the current Super League champions. Beating Killester shows they are in a rich vein of form. So it is going to be a huge challenge this weekend”.

Talking about Star’s run-in, “The way our schedule has unfolded, we will be playing most of the teams in the playoff spots in our last six games. We will certainly be playoff-ready. It’s all about trying to make the playoffs initially, then aim for a top-four spot for a home quarter-final”.

Fulton also wanted to express his best wishes to Energywise Ireland Neptune’s Cian Heaphy, who suffered a major injury in a game last weekend.

Belfast Star stay top of the tree 🌲

FT | Belfast Star 84-78 Garvey's Tralee Warriors#DominosMSL | #IrishBasketball pic.twitter.com/W10niaWrdq

— Basketball Ireland (@BballIrl) February 1, 2026

UCC Demons also appear to be on a roll, winning five games in a row since the turn of the year. They were blessed with the return last week of American Tamyrik Fields, who had a 26-point performance and a 27-point performance between the two games last weekend for Demons. A win here would be big for Demons, with a victory taking them potentially level with seventh and also potentially a game further away from the relegation zone, pending other results.

EJ Sligo All-Stars face a big task this week when they welcome Energywise Ireland Neptune, in what is a huge game in the battle for survival with just six games left to be played of the regular season.

Despite a loss to Éanna, Sligo managed to pick up a vital win against St. Vincent’s last weekend, which has them one win ahead of Neptune at the foot of the table. Sligo head coach Shane O’Meara reckons that his side are in a precarious position as we approach the final stages of the season.

“We are hopeful that if we can get all of our players healthy, that we can still make a late push for a playoff spot. But equally, we are aware that if we don’t, we could be in a relegation battle”.

For Neptune, they currently possess what could be a valuable game in hand, after the abandonment of the game against Éanna due to an injury to Cian Heaphy. Their second fixture didn’t exactly go to plan as they suffered a 105-93 defeat to Limerick Celtics. A win would see Neptune go level with Sligo, but a loss for Neptune, would leave them in a tough position at the bottom with six games to be played at the moment.

Following last week’s loss to Killester, Ballincollig will be looking to rediscover their early season form, when they travel to fellow playoff hopefuls, Griffith College Éanna. Last week’s defeat leaves Ballincollig in third spot with a record of 11-5.

It is unknown if Ballincollig will have back the hero of their Domino’s MSL National Cup win, Latrell Jossell, Jossell missed both fixtures last weekend due to injury. A win for Ballincollig extends the gap to three games between themselves and Éanna for now. A win for Éanna is vital, as they could potentially be one game behind Ballincollig with a victory on Saturday, plus a game in hand, which would potentially see them leapfrog Ballincollig into third spot, which will be helpful come playoff time.

Killester will travel south this week, taking on Limerick Celtics on Saturday, looking to hopefully continue their surge towards the summit of the table. Killester have won six of their last seven fixtures in the Domino’s Men’s Super League, with the one loss coming against UCC Demons last Saturday. Killester are currently occupying second place at 11-5, following their resurgence mid-season from being 5-4. A win could potentially open a gap between themselves and Ballincollig.

As for Limerick Celtics, Tony Hehir’s men have had a mixed first season in the Domino’s Men’s Super League. Although it appears that an upturn in form has happened, winning two of their last three games. Another positive to take from recent weeks is the improvement of newest American Tony Hauser. Hauser had his best game to date for Celtics last weekend, scoring 25 points and getting 10 rebounds against Neptune in the victory. Celtics desperately need the win here to try and take back that final playoff spot that was taken from them last week, when UCC Demons entered the top-eight.

St. Vincent’s suffered a rather sobering double gameweek, which saw them lose back to back games against Sligo and Killorglin. The losses mean they are perfectly balanced at 8-8 for the season. This weekend, they welcome Garvey’s Tralee Warriors to Glasnevin, a team who are just one win short of Vincent’s in seventh. Tralee’s sole fixture last weekend was an 84-78 defeat to the league leaders Belfast Star.

A win for Vincent’s would see them potentially go level with Griffith College Éanna, who are currently taking up the final home playoff spot in the table. A win for Tralee could do wonders, with them then going level with Vincent’s in sixth, along with having a game in hand.

How the Domino's Men's Super League table is shaping up after a busy double-gameweek!#DominosMSL | #IrishBasketball pic.twitter.com/lmXn7ffS4o

— Basketball Ireland (@BballIrl) February 2, 2026

UCD Marian face Flexachem KCYMS this weekend, in another fixture with implications across the table. Marian have won just one of their last five league games, but still sit in fifth position, with a chance to move higher this weekend. For Killorglin, they sit just one win above Neptune at the bottom of the table. Killorglin picked up what was a crucial triumph over St. Vincent’s last Monday, behind a 29-point game from Irish international Jordan Blount. If Killorglin secure a victory on Saturday, it will be a giant step towards both survival and potentially making a last-minute push towards the playoff spots. However, a loss for Killorglin and they could potentially find themselves in a relegation battle.

All Domino’s Men’s Super League games this weekend will be shown live on BITV.