PORTALES, N.M. – It's a perfect weekend to spend indoors keeping up to date with your favorite collegiate men's basketball program. Eastern New Mexico will spend the chilly weekend in west Texas beginning with a game against UT Permian Basin set for Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. MT. Before the matchup against the Falcons, please take a look at the Starting Five:

1.) In Crunch Time: Eastern New Mexico men's basketball beat Midwestern State, 83-81, on a layup from freshman Mo Austin with three seconds remaining in the contest. Austin led the team with an impressive 22 points and posted four assists, three steals, three rebounds, and two blocks in the matchup. The Pueblo, Colo. native said that his parents and teammates encouraged him to be more "aggressive" prior to the game, which resulted in his production on the floor. The 5-9 guard has scored in double figures four times in the last five games, which has skyrocketed his scoring average from 5.3 to 8.2 points per game.

2.) National Standards: The Greyhounds rank in the top ten nationally in eight major statistical categories. Eastern New Mexico is second in the nation with a +23.0-scoring margin. ENMU is third among NCAA DII programs with 24.08 fastbreak points and 12.8 steals per game. The Hounds are fourth in the country connecting on 51.6% of their shots. The team is sixth with a +10.5 rebound margin. Eastern is ninth with 93.1 points scored per outing. Lastly, the program is tenth with 20.31 turnovers forced per game and holds a +6.3-turnover margin.

3.) Double Up: Senior Mario Whitley is second in the conference with five double doubles in 2024-25. He has already surpassed his 2023-24 total of four. Whitley earned 16 points and 11 rebounds in the most recent victory over MSU. He is shooting 57-of-118 (48.3%) from the floor and has hit at least two field goals in each game this season. One of his most impressive feats is that he has recorded at least five rebounds in each game this year. The Saginaw, Mich. native has added 29 assists, 13 steals, and seven blocks. Three of his double-doubles have come in conference play. Whitley ranks second in the conference in minutes per matchup (34:59) and defensive rebounds per contest (6.09).

4.) Leading the LSC: UT Permian Basin comes into the matchup with a 10-3 (6-1 LSC) mark. They sit tied for first in the conference and have established their program in the top ten in the D2CSC regional rankings discussion. The Falcons hold key wins against Angelo State and Central Missouri. Their three losses have come against No. 2 Washburn, Adams State, and Texas A&M-Kingsville. The Greyhounds have beaten the Javelinas this season. One of their top players, Alex Matthews, leads the conference with 69 total free throws made. UTPB big man Dario Domingos ranks second in the conference with a 58.6% field goal percentage. The only person who beats him in this category is ENMU's Jose Murillo.

5.) Consistent Five: UTPB has started the same five players in all 13 contests so far. Those players include Alex Matthews, Dario Domingos, Freddie Word, DJ Armstrong, and Maison Adeleye. All five of those players are averaging double figures in scoring, contributing more than 75% of their offensive output. Matthews carries the team with 17.0 points per game and has scored in double figures in all, but one game for the Falcons. The offense is run through Freddie Word who has 37 assists this season, including at least one in each game this year. Maison Adeleye is not far behind in total assists with 33 to his credit. He also has had at least one assist in each outing. Domingos leads the program with 21 steals and has added six blocks. The primary bench support comes from Sharrod Taylor who posts 4.5 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. He plays nearly 20 minutes per contest and has hit the second most three pointers (10) on the team this season.