PORTALES, N.M. – The final regular season games for Eastern New Mexico men's basketball will be played this week as the Greyhounds face in-state foe Western New Mexico twice in a three-day span. Before the two programs from the Land of Enchantment hit the hardwood, please take a look at the Starting Five:

1.) 2-0 Weekend: ENMU went 2-0 last week with key home victories over Oklahoma Christian (110-79) and the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith (92-85). Three different players recorded a double-double between the two contests. Thursday's win over the Eagles saw junior Tre'Von Love post a 13-point, 10-rebound performance. The victory against the Lions Saturday afternoon was highlighted with Lyron Bennett adding 14 points and 12 rebounds along with his teammate Mario Whitley having 10 points and 11 rebounds. Head coach Brent Owen improved to 6-0 all-time against the two programs.

2.) Regionals Outlook: Eastern New Mexico is in consideration for the NCAA regionals as of last week. The Greyhounds are one of ten programs selected as "in consideration" for a bid to the tournament with only 11 days before the field is selected. Five south central region teams (#2 Fort Lewis, #4 West Texas A&M, #7 Colorado Mesa, #12 DBU, #16 Colorado School of Mines) are ranked. ENMU will battle with Angelo State, Cameron, Lubbock Christian, and MSU Denver for the final three spots based on the most recent regional rankings. The newest ranking will come out later this afternoon.

3.) Team Basketball: When looking at where the Greyhounds lead the lead in major statistical categories, most of them relate to the concept of team basketball. ENMU leads the Lone Star Conference in assists (16.9 apg), blocks (4.6 bpg), and fastbreak points (17.69 ppg). Eastern also boasts 27.65 points per outing from the bench. The leading scorer off the bench for the Hounds is Junior Hodnett posting 9.8 points per game and is the team leader in made three's with 57. Conrad Luczynski has also played consistent minutes for the program with 80 total rebounds and 29 blocks.

4.) Rebounds and Bench Points: Western New Mexico comes into Portales with a 4-21 (2-18 LSC) nod after picking up a triple overtime win over the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith last Thursday. The highest rated statistic for WNMU is bench points per game as they rank third in the league with 29 per contest. One of their top contributors on the bench is Allen Fordham. The 6-4 junior from Far Rockaway, N.Y. is averaging 10.2 points a contest despite only starting in seven contests in 2023-24. The Mustangs hold the eighth most rebounds per game (34.64 rpg) in the conference. The team's leader on the boards is Prosper Obidiebube. The 6-8 graduate student from Houston, Texas earns 5.4 per game, but he has not played in a game since February 3 and is off the team.

5.) Senior Day: ENMU men's basketball will recognize five seniors Thursday before tip-off. Fans are encouraged to support the program by coming early to the game. Lyron Bennett posts 9.0 points per game and holds a team lead with 105 assists. He will complete a degree in university studies. Jason Holman has appeared in 16 games and posted 11 made three's in 2023-24. He will complete a degree in psychology. Niko Bossinakis has played in seven games and has connected on five three's this year. He will explore career opportunities in the Dallas/Fort Worth area in May. Greg Johnson is posting 17.0 points a game and has earned weekly conference honors twice this season. He will finish his degree in university studies. Jahcoree Ealy is boasting 21.3 points per game and shooting at a 60.4% clip. He will complete his degree in university studies. Tickets purchased online only are $5 for Thursday night's game. Kids 12 and under are free.