Air Force Battles Long Beach State at CBE Classic
11/13/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 13, 2006
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Site
Maples Pavilion (7,233), Stanford, Calif.
Radio
KVOR AM 740 in Colorado Springs. KVOR's Jim Arthur handles the play-by-play. The game can also be heard on www.goairforcefalcons.com.
TV
None
Live Stats
None
Recent Results
Air Force opened the 2006-07 season with an 81-45 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff Friday night at Clune Arena. Long Beach State defeated Chapman University, 95-61, in its lone exhibition game on Thursday, Nov. 4.
Coaches
Air Force is coached by Jeff Bzdelik (Illinois-Chicago, 1976), who is in his second season as head coach. Bzdelik returned to the college game last year after 15 seasons as a coach and scout in the NBA, most recently as head coach of the Denver Nuggets. Bzdelik has a collegiate career record of 50-38.
Long Beach State is coached by Larry Reynolds (Arkansas A&M, 1970), who is in his fifth season with the 49ers. He has a 39-75 record at the school and 149-110 in his eight-year career.
Series
Long Beach State leads the series 2-0. The teams last played on Nov. 21, 2000, with LBSU capturing an 84-77 victory in Long Beach.
CBE Classic
The Falcons play Long Beach State in the first game of the College Basketball Experience Classic on Tuesday, Nov. 14. The second game features Stanford against San Jose State. Other regional sites include Marquette (w/Maine, Detroit and Idaho State), Duke (w/Columbia, UC Davis and Georgia Southern) and Texas Tech (w/Akron, Arkansas-Little Rock and Gardner-Webb). The four regional winners advance to Kansas City on Nov. 20-21 for the CBE semifinals and championship at Municipal Auditorium. The Stanford region winner will play the Duke region winner while the Texas Tech winner will face the Marquette winner in the semifinals.
Falcons Picked Third in MWC Poll
Air Force was picked third in the 2006-07 preseason media poll released at the Mountain West Conference media day in Las Vegas, Nev., on Oct. 26. The Falcons received three first-place votes, the second-most in the conference.
School (First Place Votes), Pts
1. San Diego State (17), 192
2. BYU (1), 156
3. Air Force (3), 147
4. Utah, 114
5. New Mexico, 101
6. UNLV, 99
7. Colorado State, 68
8. Wyoming, 51
9. TCU, 27
Burtschi Named Preseason All-MWC
Senior forward Jacob Burtschi was selected to the preseason All-Mountain West Conference team at the league's media day in Las Vegas, Nev. The Chickasha, Okla. product earned second-team honors by the conference following the 2005-06 season after finishing second on the team in scoring, averaging 12.4 points per game, and leading the MWC with a school-record 71 steals. He needs eight steals to become AFA's career leader. Burtschi led the Falcons in rebounding at 6.1 rebounds per game, which placed him ninth in the league. This is the fourth consecutive year an Air Force player has been selected to the team. Senior Nick Welch was picked each of the past two years and Tim Keller was selected prior to the 2003-04 season. The only other MWC school to have a player on the team each of the last four years is Colorado State.
2006-07 Preseason All-MWC
Jacob Burtschi, Sr., F, Air Force
Trent Plaisted, So., F/C, BYU
Jason Smith, Jr., F, Colorado State
Mohamed Abukar, Sr., F, San Diego State
Brandon Heath, Sr., G, San Diego State
Top Returning Player
Brandon Heath, Sr., G, San Diego State
Top Freshman
Stephen Weigh, G/F, Utah
Last Time Out
Jacob Burtschi and Tim Anderson scored 13 points each to lead a balanced Air Force attack as the Falcons rolled past Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 81-45, Friday night in front of 4,366 fans at Clune Arena in the season opener for both schools. Air Force captured its 18th consecutive win at home and 26th straight against non-conference opponents at Clune Arena.
The Falcons led from the opening tip and were never seriously challenged in the game. Air Force jumped to a 16-0 lead while holding Arkansas-Pine Bluff to an 0-for-11 start from the field. All five AF starters scored during the spurt. The Lions finally got on the board at the 12:33 mark of the first half on a basket by Terrance Calvin.
Air Force cruised to a 38-19 halftime lead and never led by less than 18 points in the second half. The Falcons finished the game hitting 56.9 percent from the field on 29 of 51 shooting. Sixteen of the team's 29 field goals were lay ups. In addition, the Falcons hit 52.9 percent (9-17) from three-point range. Nick Welch chipped in with 12 points and a team-best eight rebounds in his return to action after missing all of last season with injuries. Matt McCraw added 10 points, while Burtschi dished out a career-high six assists and added six rebounds.
Eric Kenzik and Adam Hood each scored a career-high five points for the Falcons, who emptied their bench in the second half.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff was led by William Byrd, who had a game-high 17 points. He was the only Lion in double figures. Arkansas-Pine Bluff finished the game hitting 32.7 percent from the field and just two of 17 from the three-point land.
Notes from the UAPB Game
Team
-- Air Force won its home opener for the sixth consecutive season
-- Air Force won its season opener for the fourth consecutive season
-- Air Force won its 18th consecutive home game, tied for the third-longest streak in the country
-- Air Force won its 26th consecutive home game against non-conference opponents
Individual
-- Head coach Jeff Bzdelik won his 50th career game as a collegiate coach (50-38)
-- Jacob Burtschi dished out a career-high six assists
-- John Frye tied his career-high with four assists
-- Tim Anderson tied his career-high with six rebounds
-- Ryan Teets tied his career-high with two rebounds
-- Eric Kenzik and Adam Hood each scored a career-high five points
-- Anwar Johnson played a career-high 15 minutes
-- Matt Holland, Grant Parker and Avery Merriex appeared in their first career game
Fourth NCAA Appearance in History
Air Force made its fourth appearance in the NCAA Tournament last season, falling to Illinois, 78-69, in the first round. The Falcons lost to North Carolina in the first round of the 2004 NCAA Tournament, 63-52, which was their first time in the "Big Dance" since 1962, when the Falcons lost in the first round, 68-66, to Texas Tech. Air Force's other appearance in the NCAA tournament was in 1960, losing in the first round to DePaul, 69-63.
24 Wins Sets New School Record
Air Force finished the 2005-06 campaign with a 24-7 record. The 24 victories are the most wins in one season in the history of the program. The previous mark was 22 set by the 2003-04 team.
Three-Point Streak
Air Force has made a three-point shot in 416 consecutive games. The last time the Falcons failed to make a three-pointer was Dec. 4, 1991 in a 57-51 victory over Adams State College.
New School Record for 3s ...
The Falcons set a new school record last year for the most three-pointers made in a single season. They drained 276 long-range shots last season, bettering the old record of 266 in 2004-05.
... No. 2 in 3-Pt. Percentage
Air Force's percentage of 40.4 (276-684) from three-point range last year is the second-best by any Falcon team, behind the 1988-89 squad, which shot 40.5 percent (137-338).
... And No. 3 in FG Percentage
Air Force's field goal percentage of 48.3 percent last year is the third-best in school history and the best since 1989.
Nwaelele Tops MWC in 3-Pt. Pct. ...
Senior forward Dan Nwaelele led the MWC in three-point percentage last season, shooting 48.2% (67-139). Senior Matt McCraw, who led the league in `04-05, finished third at 43.2 percent (70-162).
... And Owns Record at FT Line
Nwaelele set a new school record last season with his 27th consecutive made free throw. He extended the record to 29 before missing late in the Georgia Tech game. Nwaelele broke the record of 26, held by Tim Keller (`01-05). Nwaelele paced the team last season from the line at 89.2 percent (58-65).
Falcons Receive Votes in ESPN Poll
Air Force received votes in the first ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll for the 2006-07 season. The Falcons received 26 votes, good for 33rd in the poll.
No. 1 in Scoring Defense, Again
Air Force won its fourth consecutive scoring defense title in 2005-06. The Falcons allowed 54.7 points per game last season, almost one point better than the second-place team, Princeton.
Home Win Streak at 18
The Falcons have an 18-game winning streak at Clune Arena. The team's current home-court winning streak is tied for the third-longest in the nation with Akron.
Non-Conference Home Streak at 26
With its 81-45 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Friday. Air Force has a 26-game winning streak at home against non-conference opponents. The last loss at home to a non-Mountain West team at Clune Arena was to Tennessee Tech on Dec. 29, 2001 (64-44).
Nearly Unbeatable at Clune
The Falcons have been close to unbeatable at Clune Arena the last three seasons. Including the final home game of the 2002-03 season (a 68-60 victory over New Mexico), Air Force has won 41 of its last 42 home games. The team was 13-0 in `03-04, 12-1 in `04-05 (lost to Utah, 65-56) and 15-0 last season. AFA's 41-1 home record since the beginning of the 2003-04 season is the second-best in the country for winning percentage, behind Gonzaga, who is 40-0.
