PORTALES, N.M. – (7) Eastern New Mexico men's basketball plays in the Lone Star Conference tournament for a third-straight season beginning tomorrow, March 7. Before the quarterfinal matchup with No. 22 (2) Lubbock Christian, please read the Starting Five Preview:

1.) Closing Regular Season - Eastern is coming off a double overtime, 95-90, loss to West Texas A&M last week. ENMU came back from down by double digits and held a brief double digit lead themselves. Jose Murillo and Mo Austin carried the Greyhounds with 19 points apiece. The program shot well from the floor in the second half as they charged the comeback by making 16-of-31 (51.6%) from the floor. WT held strong in the overtime periods and kept Eastern to only three made field goals over the ten minute timespan. Three Buffs scored in double figures in the contest, including 39 points from first team all-LSC honoree Ahamed Mohammed.

2.) Award Season – Six different Greyhounds were recognized by the Lone Star Conference during the postseason banquet Wednesday night. Mario Whitley and Jose Murillo were named to second team all-LSC. Cougar Downing and Treyvon Byrd locked up third team all-LSC recognition. Cooper Jackson was placed on the all-LSC honorable mention team and picked up all-LSC defensive team honors. Murillo joined Jackson on the all-LSC defensive team. Lastly, Mo Austin was listed on the all-LSC freshman team. This is the second time in three years that six different Hounds were given honors from the conference. It is the first time that eight different postseason honors were divvied up to the program.

3.) Regional Rankings - The Greyhounds are one of eight teams in the Lone Star Conference part of the final regional rankings released by the NCAA Wednesday afternoon. Eastern New Mexico is listed as the eight seed among the group of ten teams denoted. The 2025 NCAA DII tournament bracket is going to be released Sunday evening and ENMU is seeking back-to-back tournament appearances for the first time ever. The No. 1 program entering the weekend from the south central region is Colorado School of Mines.

4.) LSC Rematch -  Eastern New Mexico and Lubbock Christian will meet for the third time this season, however, the biggest storyline is that the two teams will meet in Frisco, Texas for a second-straight season. Last year, ENMU beat LCU in the tournament championship game. The Hounds needed a buzzer-beater three point shot to win the championship over the Chaps. In 2024-25, Lubbock Christian has won both contests over Eastern. The game in Portales was decided by single digits with a 77-71 result for LCU. The game was tied at halftime, but the Chaps shot 68% from the floor in the second half and used the hot shooting to come away with the win. In Lubbock, the Chaps controlled the game from the tip as they were victorious, 88-68. The Chaps made eight of their 12 total three's in the first half.

5.) Lubbock Review -  Lubbock Christian leads the Lone Star Conference in assist/turnover ratio (1.46), free throw percentage (80.5), scoring defense (65.3), and turnovers (9.5). One of LCU's go-to players is the LSC player of the year Ethan Duncan. Duncan led the conference with 82 made three pointers. He is third in the league making 42.5% of his tries from three point land. One area where the team excels is the charity stripe, however they do not shoot too many free throws throughout games. Guard Najeeb Muhammad is second in the conference making 85.9% of his attempts from the free throw line. Muhammad is fourth in the conference with 115 total assists. LCU has won 11 of their last 12 games. They hold resume building victories over Dallas Baptist, St. Edward's, and Colorado School of Mines.