PORTALES, N.M. – Eastern New Mexico men's basketball remains on the road for a pair of matchups Thursday and Saturday. Before the Greyhounds face (RV) Midwestern State, please take a look at the Starting Five Preview:

1.) Staying Close: Eastern New Mexico fell to No. 12 DBU last Saturday on the road, 87-81. Eastern New Mexico was led offensively by Mario Whitley (19 pts) and Cougar Downing (15 pts). ENMU won the rebound battle by a slim margin, 30-29. The matchup began in Eastern's favor as they played to their strengths - transition play and disruptive defense. The Hounds were up by as many as six points at two different periods in the contest. The turning point came right when ENMU took a 30-24 lead with 8:32 remaining in the opening period. DBU marched to a double digit advantage and had the 51-37 edge going into halftime. The Greyhounds did not fret and ended up pulling the game within three possession over the opening six minutes of play. They kept clawing their way and ended up getting as close as one point (82-81) with 1:19 remaining. The Patriots finished the game on a 5-0 run to ink the win and stay as one of the top programs in the Lone Star Conference.

2.) Mario's Rolling: Senior Mario Whitley has been one of the most impressive players in the conference this season. Whitley is one of two players in the league with nine double doubles. The Saginaw, Mich. native earned one versus UT Tyler and also had a nice outing against DBU. In the most recent matchup he had 19 points and seven rebounds. The forward has earned five or more rebounds in every game this season. He is also averaging 20.4 points and 9.6 rebounds per game over the last five contests. Whitley is second on the team with 45 total assists and he is third on the team with 11 total blocks. Since ENMU last played MSU (1/5), Mario Whitley has jumped from 13.4 points to 15.4 points per game.

3.) Going For Three: Eastern New Mexico does not live and die by the three-point shot. Instead, they typically win the battle in the paint and scoring buckets in transition. ENMU is 12th in the conference making 6.0 three's per game and is 14th with 17.3 three-point attempts per game. Eastern is currently making 34.7% of their attempts from beyond the perimeter. Three players – Cougar Downing (36), Jaden Clarke (21), and Treyvon Byrd (15) – have hit 15 or more three's for the Greyhounds. All three players make more than 33% of their attempts. Entering last weekend, Whitley had just three three-point makes the entire season. He made five from behind the arc over the last two games. ENMU has shot 50% or better from the three-point line four times in a game this season with two of those coming in the matchups with UT Tyler and DBU last week. The Hounds shot a season-high 26 three's versus MSU last time out but only connected on six of those attempts.

4.) Series Outlook: Midwestern State holds the series edge over Eastern New Mexico, 38-19. The Greyhounds have secured three of the last four games versus MSU, but have not won in Wichita Falls against the Mustangs since 2019. The two teams have been playing in collegiate basketball contests since 1985 with MSU earning the first ever series win, 81-55. The two programs met less than four weeks ago at Steve Loy Family Foundation Arena with ENMU pulling off an 83-81 win. Eastern was led by 22 points from freshman Mo Austin who scored a game-clinching layup in the closing seconds. Austin had a nice outing with four assists, three steals, three rebounds, and two blocks. Two players, Mario Whitley and Treyvon Byrd, had 11 rebounds apiece in the win.

5.) MSU Musings: Midwestern State is one of the strongest teams in the Lone Star Conference. They come into Thursday's matchup receiving votes in the top 25 poll and are coming off two wins where they won by 32 points over Cameron (98-66) and Oklahoma Christian (90-58). MSU is looking to avenge the loss to ENMU in Portales. The top two weapons offensively for the Mustangs are Pierre Sanders (12.6 ppg, 4.0 apg) and Mason Gibson (16.4 ppg, 1.6 three's/game). Last week, forward Reggie Hill was recognized as the Lone Star Conference defensive player of the week. Hill has a team-best nine blocks and is averaging a team-high of 6.6 rebounds per outing. MSU is 9-0 at home this year, including a 13-game winning streak in Wichita Falls dating back to last season. They lead the conference in field goal percentage defense (39.2%), fouls (14.2), and three's (9.8). Midwestern State is nearing its best since Justin Leslie took over as head coach of the program in 2019-20. Leslie has had just two seasons with 16 total wins. He is two wins away from achieving that mark.