Now that the UCU Canons have won their first FUBA playoff series, this is the next realistic target - reaching the men's top division finals.

Enter the Kyambogo Warriors, the team UCU must beat to realise what would be the greatest achievement in their eight-year history. The two sides battle in Game 1 of their best-of-five semifinals today at the YMCA, five days after the Canons shocked two-time champions D'Mark Power 2-1 in the quarterfinals.

For UCU, this is the beginning of another fight against the odds since the Warriors come into the series as favourites. Like Power, Kyambogo have greater playoff experience having been in the last three successive finals. Like Power, Kyambogo have the better weapons and defeated UCU twice in the regular season.

Like Power, however, Kyambogo can be beaten. Mandy Juruni's side will pose UCU many more problems in the paint than Power did but Nick Natuhereza's side enjoy a good battle and will relish turning this series into one long, physical grind.

As the Canons showed last season, when they lost 3-2 to the Warriors in a closely contested semifinal series, they love the hard stuff. Meanwhile, two-time reigning women's champions and overwhelming favourites UCU Canons open their best-of-five semifinals against A1 Challenge in the day's first game.

2012 FUBA Playoffs:

Today: YMCA

Best-of-five semifinals Game 1

Men's Division 1

Kyambogo v UCU Canons

Women

UCU v A1