Preview: Buivydas absence forcing Belfast Star to adapt in Domino’s Men’s Super League

The penultimate weekend in the regular season of the Domino’s Men’s Super League presents a slate of games that could affect situations across the entire table. League leaders Belfast Star face third-placed Killester hoping to secure the top spot in the league.

Second-place Ballincollig take on Flexachem KCYMS in match that affects both ends of the standings, Energywise Ireland Neptune are looking to avoid potential relegation when they head to Garvey’s Tralee Warriors, EJ Sligo All-Stars play UCC Demons with both sides on the outside of the playoff places looking in, Limerick Celtics could confirm their playoff spot if they win at Griffith College Éanna and St. Vincent’s face UCD Marian in a battle of fifth against sixth.

Belfast Star are hoping to guarantee a first-place finish this weekend when they take on fellow title chasers Killester this Saturday. Star will also be aiming to make it three wins in a row after wins against UCD Marian and St. Vincent’s. Irish international Rapolas Buivydas appears to be unavailable this weekend according to head coach, Adrian Fulton. Buivydas did not play in either of Ireland’s fixtures against Azerbaijan and Luxembourg last weekend.

Speaking on Buivydas’ absence, Fulton said “Rap missed the recent internationals and will definitely be out of the Killester game. He will be reassessed next week. He might make it back for the Ballincollig game but he also might not be available until the playoffs. Other guys are going to have to step up to the challenge just like they did in the UCD game”.

For Killester, a win for them would potentially put them back into the top two and potentially give them home court for both the quarter and semi-finals of the playoffs. Their four-game winning streak was snapped last time out after a 14-point defeat to Garvey’s Tralee Warriors following a 26-2 final quarter swing for the Kerry side. Killester head coach Jonathan Grennell was full of praise for the opponents.

Speaking about Star, Grennell added “They have been incredible at home, winning nine of ten games. They are so well balanced, and with the addition of DeZonie, they are physically stronger on the wings. Rap is a huge part of what they do, but their scoring spread is so balanced that you simply cannot focus on just one or two options”.

Ballincollig will be looking to protect their status in the top-two when they take on Flexachem KCYMS in the MTU Arena on Saturday afternoon. Two wins over Sligo and Demons in the most recent weekend of Domino’s Men’s Super League action put them ahead of Killester in the table with a record of 15-5 for the season. Latrell Jossell had two big games with a 34-point showing against Demons being followed by a 20-point game against Sligo.

Killorglin have a chance to potentially secure safety this weekend depending on how Neptune fare elsewhere. Killorglin will feel they let a chance slip last time out after losing to Éanna 79-75 despite having a ten-point lead heading into the final quarter of play. Irish international Jordan Blount will be aiming to lead the way off the back of announcing his retirement from international basketball with Ireland.

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Energywise Ireland Neptune will be hoping to bring the fight against relegation down to the final day when they head to Kerry to play Garvey’s Tralee Warriors this weekend. Defeat for Neptune could mathematically confirm their relegation from the Domino’s Men’s Super League with one game left to play.

Neptune’s opponents Warriors are in a fight themselves, with them, Limerick Celtics and UCD Marian all level on nine victories for the season in joint-sixth. Warriors suffered a tough loss last weekend, falling to Celtics 77-86 in MTU Tralee. A win for Warriors gives could potentially give them sixth spot with a game in hand on the other two sides to be played against Killorglin too.

Limerick Celtics took a major step towards earning a playoff berth in their maiden season in the Domino’s Men’s Super League with the victory over Warriors last Saturday. They could confirm a playoff spot this weekend should they defeat Griffith College Éanna. Guard AJ Williams continued his strong performances that have seen him lead the league in points scored, with 453 points scored to date.

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Éanna are aiming to guarantee a fourth-place finish with a victory in Coláiste Éanna on Saturday. They bounced back from a tough defeat to UCC Demons with a comeback victory last time around over Flexachem KCYMS. With a game in hand on the sides below them, the final home court playoff spot is firmly in their grasp barring any slip-ups.

Both UCC Demons and EJ Sligo All-Stars are playing to keep their playoff hopes alive when the two sides do battle in Mercy College on Saturday night. For All-Stars, momentum through back to back wins over Killorglin and Warriors was halted after a 117-104 loss to Ballincollig at the end of February.

After a damaging loss to Limerick Celtics, defending champions Demons are at serious risk of having their title defence fall at the first hurdle with the possibility of being ruled out of the playoffs potentially being confirmed this weekend. With one win in their last four games, Demons will look to bounce back with a win over Sligo and keep their season alive until the final day.

St. Vincent’s could confirm a fifth-spot finish with a victory over UCD Marian this Saturday. Vincent’s earned a thrilling win in their last game, beating Neptune 121-114 in one of the highest scoring games this season. Liam Kinsella, Marcellus Garrick and Dorian Lagoeyte all scoring at least 20 points in the win.

UCD Marian are hoping to mathematically confirm a playoff place along with Celtics and Warriors this weekend should they pick up the win over Vincent’s. Marian have suffered back to back losses at the hands of two sides in the top three, losing to both Belfast Star and Killester.

All of the drama of the Domino’s Men’s Super League this weekend will unfold live on BITV.