PORTALES, N.M. – No. 9 Eastern New Mexico men's basketball travels to south Texas with a 21-3 (14-2 LSC) record. Before the Greyhounds face Texas A&M International, please take a look at the Starting Five Preview:

1.) Greyhounds On Fire: Eastern New Mexico is on a nine-game win streak heading into this weekend of action. The Greyhounds most recently beat UT Dallas at home, 97-87. ENMU was led by four different players scoring 17+ points. Mo Austin was the top scorer for Eastern with 21 points, but the most notable aspect of his performance was his 11-for-12 mark from the charity stripe. As a team, the Hounds went 27-for-33 (.818) on free throws, which is the third best percentage shooting night of the season for the team. ENMU made 55.2% of their shots, including a 6-for-12 mark from beyond the arc. The Greyhounds forced the Comets to make 47.4% from the field. The Greyhounds won the battle in the paint, 50-26.

2.) Standings Outlook: With 14 conference wins, Eastern New Mexico is locked into an appearance in the Lone Star Conference tournament. ENMU sits 0.5 games back from DBU who they can tie with a win over the Dustdevils on Thursday. Eastern is one game ahead of Lubbock Christian and two games in front of fellow in-state foe Western New Mexico. A victory on Thursday guarantees the team a top five spot in the LSC and two wins this weekend will clinch a top three spot for ENMU. In terms of national tournament predictions, every reputable site lists the team in the top four in the south central region.

3.) Stats That Matter: ENMU ranks first in the Lone Star Conference in fastbreak points (18.33) and rebound margin (+6.7). Several Greyhounds also sit at the top of the conference in a few categories. Jose Murillo leads the LSC in blocks (43) and field goal percentage (64.5%). Cooper Jackson continues to be one of the best defensive players in the league with 74 steals. Mo Austin is second in the Lone Star with a 2.11 assist/turnover ratio. He is also second with 66 total steals. Murillo has snagged the second most double-doubles with 11 this season. Eastern is second in the conference with a 50.5% shooting clip and 37.58 rebounds per outing. ENMU is also second in points per game (83.3) and steals per contest (10.0).



4.) Defense Prevails: Eastern had an excellent stat line in the turnover department on Saturday against UT Dallas. The Hounds outscored the Comets, 28-4, on points off turnovers. UTD committed 17 turnovers compared to just 11 for ENMU. Mo Austin led the Greyhounds with five total steals. Treyvon Byrd joined Austin with multiple steals as he had two in the win. Another area where the program has excelled is blocking shots. Jose Murillo has combined for eight blocks over the last two games. The Hounds did an excellent job with 24 defensive rebounds out of their 33 total boards.

5.) Dustdevils Overview: Texas A&M International comes into Thursday's game with an 8-16 (5-11 LSC) mark. They hold conference wins against UT Tyler, UT Permian Basin, Texas A&M-Kingsville (x2), and Midwestern State. The win against MSU marks their fourth road win of the year. TAMIU is only posting 67.9 points per game and make just 42.4% of their shots from the floor. The Dustdevils are giving up the ball 13.7 times per contest. Three players score in double figures for the program. Caylen Goff Brown is the team's leader in scoring with 14.7 points per outing and he has sunk 59 three point baskets. No player has started all 24 games for the team. The best stat among conference foes for Texas A&M International features their 72.2% mark from the charity stripe, which ranks seventh in the LSC. Goff Brown leads the team by shooting 85.4% from the free throw line. They rank 264th among all 287 DII programs by allowing opponents to shoot 48% from the field.