PORTALES, N.M. – Eastern New Mexico's tough four-game road test continues with a pair of matchups with No. 1 West Texas A&M and (RV) Lubbock Christian. Before those contests, please read the Starting Five:
1.) New Week: One of ENMU men's basketball needs is to focus on the current week as last week the program went 0-2 in games versus Midwestern State and Cameron. Last week,
Tre'Von Love scored a career-best 17 points in the outing against the Mustangs and
Greg Johnson managed to scored 35 points versus the Aggies after only managing one field goal two days prior. In the matchup with CU, three Hounds had at least seven rebounds –
Jose Murillo (9),
Lyron Bennett (7), and
Mario Whitley (7). The challenge will be much different this week as WT comes into the weekend undefeated in LSC play and Lubbock Christian is just one spot away from being ranked in the polls.
2.) Watch for Everybody: One of the most positive signs for the Buffalos is that any player on the team can get hot at any time. The leader for them offensively is Larry Wise averaging 19.7 points per contest. Wise is coming off his worst outing as he only finished with six points versus Angelo State, however, two of his teammates, Ahamed Mohammed (25) and Kieran Elliot (21) each scored about 20+ to secure the program's sixteenth win in conference action. In total, five Buffs average double figures and seven players have scored at least 16 points in at least one game this season.
3.) Get Back: ENMU looks to avenge an 89-87 loss to then-No. 2 WT. Since that result, the Buffs have carried a No. 1 ranking and look to continue that with a win. The last time the two squads met saw West Texas A&M stretch out a 20-point edge with just over 12 minutes remaining in the contest. What looked to be a stress-free win was turned around and the Greyhounds saw themselves with a two-point lead just one minute to go in the game. The Buffs managed to pull away in the contest and took home the win despite giving away the large advantage.
4.) Shooting our Shot: The Greyhounds are one of the better offensive teams in the Lone Star Conference as they average 87.7 points a contest on 49.3% shooting from the floor. One of the key areas is in transition as the team connects for 17+ points per contest in that area. ENMU also limits opponents to just 42% from the field and gives up close to one-third of shots from behind the arc. This has helped guide the program to its second-straight double-digit conference win total.
5.) Hot Chaps: One of the toughest teams in LSC play is Lubbock Christian as they are riding a four-game winning streak. One area they can change the scenario in any matchup is through strong defense as the limit foes to just 67.2 points a contest. Another stat to keep an eye on is three-point shooting. The Chaps hit 10.3 trey's per game and hit them at a 41.5% clip. Lastly, the team is very careful with the ball as they only give it away 8.9 times per outing. Forcing LCU to take tough shots and going on fast-paced scoring runs could be a difference maker come Saturday.
