THE FIRST elimination match of the 2026 National Basketball League (NBL) postseason has arrived, with the Tasmania JackJumpers travelling across the Bass Strait to face off against Melbourne United at John Cain Arena tonight.

The fifth and sixth placed teams on the ladder at season’s end, United and the JackJumpers have enjoyed some classic battles since Tasmania’s inception at the start of the decade, including a championship series that saw the latter take home the ultimate prize.

Now, the rivalry will add another chapter when the two teams fight to keep their respective campaigns alive, and given the history between the sides, there is every chance tonight’s encounter goes right down to the wire in Melbourne.

Melbourne United vs. Tasmania JackJumpers

John Cain Arena
Thursday, March 5 @ 7:30pm

United were shaping as the championship favourites in the early stages of the season, winning their first nine games of the fixture before a form slump saw Melbourne slide down to fifth spot heading into the postseason. It was a disappointing finish to the season, but United have shown that they are a championship-calibre side when at their best.

They will come up against a Tasmania side that always gets the best out of them, and given the postseason success the NBL’s newest side has had against them in the past, United will be thrilled with the opportunity to get their revenge and end the JackJumpers’ season in Melbourne tonight, so expect the hosts to bring their A-game with a bit of added incentive.

Built for big games, Milton Doyle has the chance to be worth his pay check against his former side tonight, having cultivated a reputation as one of the NBL’s premier clutch players. When United faced off against Tassie at the start of the season, it was Doyle who nailed the game-winner, and could be the difference again tonight.

It was looking tense for a while, but the JackJumpers did enough to secure sixth spot on the ladder and cement a play-in position in the final weeks of the season. With the New Zealand Breakers and the Illawarra Hawks in contention for the spot for a few weeks, Tasmania managed to pull out some timely wins in the final month of the season to lock itself into the play-in tournament.

They are entering the postseason without some of their biggest names, headlined by their two best players in Will Magnay and Bryce Hamilton, both of whom were dealt season-ending injuries in the back half of the fixture. Although the JackJumpers had others who stood up in the weeks that followed, they may find it difficult without the star pair.

The JackJumpers will be looking for someone to step up offensively tonight, and David Johnson could be the man to answer the call. Although an injury has interrupted his campaign, the import forward has still had multiple scoring performances that defined a match, and may need to show aggression with ball in hand if he is to lead Tasmania to a matchup against the Perth Wildcats.