PORTALES, N.M. – Eastern New Mexico men's basketball is set to play in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Lone Star Conference men's basketball championships hosted at the Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas. Before the matchup, please take a look at the Starting Five Preview:

1.) Regular Season Magic: Eastern had a notable regular season going 24-4 (17-3 LSC). The impressive record marks a tie for the second most wins in program history and the most conference wins ever. It also gives Eastern its best win total in regular season play. The program went 12-1 on the road to notch their best true road game record in history. They also locked-in double digit wins at home with 10 total. Eastern stands at 2-0 with neutral site wins in Salt Lake City, Utah and Pueblo, Colo.

2.) Buffs History: West Texas A&M holds a 98-22 all-time mark against Eastern New Mexico. ENMU has won two-straight with both victories coming this season. The  season series began with a 97-89 win in Portales behind 24 points from junior guard Austin Abrams. Cooper Jackson also had a notable game with 20 points and four steals. For just the eighth time in school history, ENMU left Canyon with a win over the Buffs. They earned a 87-76 road win and beat WT in the same season for the first time since the 2013-14 season. Eastern is looking to tie the longest win streak ever against WT – 3 games.

3.) Award Season: The Lone Star Conference recognized four Greyhounds at the 2026 postseason banquet. Jose Murillo was named a first team all-conference performer along with earning all-defensive team honors for the second time in his playing career. Murillo is posting 16.5 ppg and 8.5 rpg this year and is now the school record holder in most games played, started, and minutes. Mo Austin was added to the second team and was named academic player of the year for the Lone Star. The Pueblo, Colo. native has had a star-studded sophomore season with 14.7 ppg and a team-high 116 assists. Cooper Jackson made the all-defensive team for the second time as a Greyhound. He also made second team all-LSC after averaging 13.0 ppg and holding a top-five national mark with 82 total steals.



4.) Rivalry Continues: Eastern New Mexico will meet West Texas A&M on the hardwood for the 121st time in program history. WT holds impressive wins over Pittsburg State, Central Oklahoma, Fort Lewis, St. Mary's, and St. Edward's among others. They are led offensively by first team all-conference performer Fontaine Williams. He is averaging 20.2 points per game and has 69 assists. Williams has played in all, but one contest – the road game against Eastern in Portales. Another impressive player for WT is Brock Mishak who was named an all-conference performer this season. He is averaging 14.4 ppg and has 102 assists this year. WT is 7-6 in games decided by singles digits. They rank first in the conference with 84.3 points per game and 10.4 made three's per contest.

5.) Win The Day: Eastern New Mexico has five different players averaging double figure marks this season. The Greyhounds are guided by Jose Murillo as he leads the program in points, blocks, rebounds, and field goal percentage. Mo Austin leads the backcourt and has proven to be an impressive distributor and efficient scorer. Austin is third in the conference with 4.1 assists per contest. Eastern wants to keep the tempo of the game in their favor as they average 17.57 fastbreak points per contest. ENMU attacks the offensive glass with 12.0 rebounds per game on that end. Every extra offensive rebound allows the Greyhounds to get second chance points. Recently, Eastern New Mexico moved to number two nationally with a 51.3% mark in field goal shooting percentage. Three of the top six players in the LSC in terms of field goal shooting are Greyhounds. They include Jose Murillo (65.6%), Mo Austin (53.5%), and Austin Abrams (51.3%).