ENMU sets men's basketball schedule
Sep. 24—PORTALES — Eastern New Mexico University has announced its basketball schedule for the upcoming season, including 14 home dates and 14 away/neutral site contests.
The Greyhounds, under second-year coach Brent Owen, were 6-6 in early January last season before finishing 7-17 (3-11 LSC) after dropping 11 in a row before a season-ending win over Western New Mexico.
ENMU opens with a 7 p.m. exhibition on Oct. 28 at Phoenix against Division I Grand Canyon of the Western Athletic Conference. The regular season begins with the LSC/RMAC Challenge at Las Vegas, N.M., against Fort Lewis on Nov. 11 and against host New Mexico Highlands the following day.
"Exhibition games against quality D-I opponents are hard to come by," Owen said in a release from the school. "Everyone wants to give their team a chance to play in those environments. We are grateful for the opportunity to compete at Grand Canyon University, which has become widely known as one of the best atmospheres in college basketball."
The final 22 of 28 games are LSC matchups, with the 16-team league split into divisions, with each team playing once against the eight teams in the opposite division and home-and-homes against the other seven teams in its circuit. ENMU visits St. Edward's on Dec. 1 and St. Mary's two days later to begin league action.
Texas A&M-Commerce has moved on to the Division I level this season, but Owen said the LSC is still strong.
""Last year, the 12th seed in the LSC tournament (Texas A&M-Kingsville) received an at-large bid to the NCAA (D-II) tournament," he said. "That is unheard of and speaks to the difficulty this league brings at you each and every night.
"From my perspective, in watching who teams have recruited this off-season, it certainly looks like the teams near the bottom have improved and the teams near the top have continued to bring in some of the most talented players in the country. Taking that into account, along with the addition of two more conference games to the schedule, ensures that it will be a dogfight for the top spot in the LSC."
The ENMU women's basketball schedule is expected to be released this week.
