Game Preview: Eastern New Mexico University and Western New Mexico University

Featuring a roster with junior JAYLEN GORDON as its longest-tenured player, seven players in their second year with the program, and the rest entirely new, the St. Edward's men's basketball team opened the season with a schedule designed to allow the Hilltoppers time to get acclimated with one another. 

After fading late against a physical Colorado Mesa team, the Hilltoppers defeated a Colorado Christian team that recently posted a win over NCAA Division I Northern Colorado with the type of performance that should be the key to the season, assisting on 21 of their 31 made field goals in an 88-71 win. 

The Hilltoppers followed with four home victories against a softer schedule, building repetitions and winning habits in a low-stakes environment on the way to a 5-1 record. 

"I feel like we've done some good things. We weren't great in the first game against St. Francis, but I was happy we found a way to win [getting to the free-throw line]," St. Edward's head men's basketball coach Andre Cook says. "With half the roster being new and everyone else being second-year guys, the schedule was designed to get guys acclimated and learn from winning, but now we know it's on. We have 25 Division II games, including 22 in our league, from here until March." 

St. Edward's leads the Lone Star Conference in assists per game and ranks sixth in the nation, averaging 24.6. They accomplish this with a 2.05 assist-to-turnover ratio, good for third in the nation. 

The Hilltoppers feature a balanced attack with three players averaging double-digit points, led by transfer Jeff Gary, who has combined outside shooting (34.4 percent on 5.3 3-point attempts per game) and the ability to get to the free-throw line (30-for-30 on the season). UCHE DIBIAMAKA follows at 12.5 points per game, providing self-creation for the offense, and MASON HIX has worked as a barometer, averaging 11.3 points per game, working mostly within the flow of the offense. 

St. Edward's made an early change to its rotation it hopes pays dividends down the road, inserting first-year center Sean Elkinton into the starting lineup to add much-needed size, getting 9.3 points on 55.8 percent shooting to go with 6.7 rebounds per game and nine total blocks. The move shifted BLAKE NIELSEN to the bench, where his versatile skill set and high basketball IQ have anchored a second unit featuring BENNETT MOHN and Uzo Dibiamaka that has expanded the Hilltoppers' leads in games. 

"Blake started the first two games; we just thought we needed to get bigger. He's maybe the smartest player I've ever coached, and the guys respect him, which is why he's our captain," Cook says of the team's leader in assists at 4.2 per game. "Bennett is a coach's dream. He's the prototypical three-and-D guy who just listens, shows up, and works. Uzo is talented and continues to adjust to our system. They give us different lineups. We have some good players, and for us to win in this league, we're going to need them all."

Eastern New Mexico is an excellent test to kick off conference play with a 5-1 record and ENMU head coach Brent Owen in his third year running the program. With time to build a roster of his own recruits, the Greyhounds are an athletic group of similarly sized players who can switch across multiple positions, ranking fifth in the conference in field-goal percentage defense (41.4 percent) and second in forced turnovers per game (21.83). 

The switch-heavy defense is designed to negate the type of movement and complexities the Hilltoppers use to keep opponents off balance. If every screen is designed to force a defense into a decision, switching takes the sting out of it by simplifying the response. 

"If we're being easily switchable, we're playing 5-on-0 offense, and if we're doing that, they can guard it pretty easily," Cook explains. "We'll have to have brains and nuance on offense to score." 

On the other end, ENMU is led by Errol White, a 6-foot-7 forward averaging a double-double with 15 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. Eze Dike, a graduate student transfer from Yale, complements White's inside scoring with a steady outside shot, scorching the nets with a blistering 11-for-17 (64.7 percent) performance from beyond the 3-point line to start the season. 

Western New Mexico (6-0) plays a similar style with even more size and continuity. The Mustangs are currently second in the conference with 4.5 blocks per game and have been stellar in shutting off the 3-point line, limiting opponents to 25.2 percent from deep. 

Olamide Pederson, a 6-foot-9 big man from Bronshoj, Denmark, anchors the defense with 3.33 blocks per game, leading the LSC and currently second in the nation. Offensively, Keith Littles and Tony Avalos lead the team in scoring with 12.7 and 11.7 points per game on high efficiency. 

"Last year, we had one of the best games ever played here, and I'm sure they'll have revenge on their minds," Cook says of the Hilltoppers' 111-108 overtime win last January. "When our offense is moving and flowing, we're tough to guard. When we get to where we're just watching guys dribble, we are really easy to defend."