Falcons Battle #10 Duke in CBE Classic Semifinals
11/19/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 19, 2006
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Site
Municipal Auditorium (10,700), Kansas City, Mo.
Radio
The Air Force Basketball Network. Locally on NewsRadio 740 KVOR in Colorado Springs and KYOL 1510 AM in Denver. KVOR's Jim Arthur calls the play-by-play.
TV
ESPN2. Dan Schulman (play-by-play), Dick Vitale (analyst) and Doris Burke (sideline) call the action.
Live Stats
www.goairforcesports.com (Gametracker)
Recent Results
Air Force defeated Colorado, 84-46, in Boulder on Saturday night. Duke defeated UNC-Greensboro, 75-48, Thursday evening in Durham, N.C.
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 53-38, including a 28-7 mark at the Academy. Duke is coached by Mike Krzyzewski (Army, 1969), who is in his 27th season with the Blue Devils. He has a 683-191 record at the school and is 756-250 in his 33-year career. Krzyzewski was the head coach at Army for five seasons.
Series
This is the first meeting between the two teams.
CBE Classic Regional Champs
With its 79-45 victory over Stanford Wednesday night, Air Force captured the Stanford Region of the CBE Classic and will face No. 10 Duke in the CBE Classic semifinals in Kansas City on Monday, Nov. 20, beginning at 6 p.m. (CT). Texas Tech and Marquette will face off in the other semifinal.
Burtschi Named Region MVP
Senior Jacob Burtschi was named the most valuable player for the Stanford Region. Burtschi averaged 23 points and 8.5 rebounds in the two games, including a 24-point, 12-rebound performance against Stanford on Wednesday, the third double-double of his career.
4-0 For First Time Since `98
Air Force is 4-0 for the first time since the 1998-99 season. The Falcons started 5-0 that season. Air Force has started 3-1 each of the last two seasons, losing in the final of the season-opening BCA Classic.
Falcons vs. the ACC
The Falcons' victories over Miami and Georgia Tech gave them a 2-0 mark last season against one of the top conferences in the country. The Falcons were 0-7 against ACC teams entering the `05-06 season. In the past, AFA posted two wins against teams that are currently in the ACC (Georgia Tech in 1972 and Florida State in 1965), but those teams were not in the ACC at the time of the game.
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
BOULDER, CO (AP) - After scoring a combined 42 points for Air Force against Colorado, Tim Anderson and Nick Welch preferred to single out the Falcons' defensive effort.
"Defense is the strength, and that's what we showed tonight," Anderson said. "We locked onto our defense and they couldn't get their shots."
Anderson scored a career-high 24 points and Air Force held Colorado to 11 points in the first half in an 84-46 victory over the Buffaloes on Saturday night.
Welch added 18 points for Air Force (4-0), which last started out with four straight wins in the 1998-99 season, when it began 5-0. The Falcons hit 13-of-25 3-pointers, four by Anderson in their most lopsided win since beating Navy 86-46 on Nov. 28, 2003.
CU leading scorer Richard Roby was held to six points on 3-for-14 shooting. Jermyl Jackson-Wilson led Colorado (1-2) with nine points.
"It's about taking care of the basketball, doing it hard and right all the time on offense and defense," Air Force coach Jeff Bzdelik said. "Just desperate energy to know personnel and be rock solid with our defensive principles."
Nothing was more evident of that than the first half. The first half output of 11 was Colorado's lowest scoring half since being held to four points in the first half of a Jan. 23, 1980, game at Missouri.
"They went into that matchup zone and slowed us down," Colorado coach Ricardo Patton said. "What we didn't want to do was rely on outside shooting against it, but that's what we did."
Colorado took a 4-0 lead early, but trailed 35-11 at halftime thanks to a scoring drought that lasted nearly 12 minutes and a patient Air Force team that shot 52 percent and had 11 points from Welch.
After a basket by Marcus Stockton-King, the Buffaloes missed 11 straight shots and turned the ball over five times while Dan Nwaelele buried three, 3-pointers as part of a 22-0 run that ended with Matt McCraw following his own miss to push Air Force ahead 22-4.
Jackson-Wilson ended the scoreless string with a basket at 6:49 that drew a roar from the crowd. Colorado, which shot 23 percent for the half, managed only seven points the rest of the period, two by Roby, who was 1-for-8 shooting.
Things didn't get much better in the second half for Colorado. The Buffaloes improved their shooting to 42 percent, but fell behind 47-17 after a 3-pointer from Welch and a layup and free throw from Keith Henke.
Anderson heated up with four 3-pointers and 17 points over the next seven minutes to give Air Force a 75-32 lead. The Falcons started pulling its starters for the last 5:30.
Notes from the Colorado Game
Team
-- Air Force is 4-0 for the first time since the 1998-99 season
-- Air Force's 38-point margin is the largest since defeating Navy, 86-46, on Nov. 28, 2003
-- Air Force has made a three-pointer in 419 consecutive games
Individual
-- Tim Anderson scored a career-high 24 points
-- Andrew Henke tied his career-high with 10 points
-- Jacob Burtschi, with one steal, tied for the career lead at Air Force with 148
-- Anwar Johnson had a career-high seven points
Crazy Stretch Coming Up
Beginning with its game at Colorado on Saturday, Air Force will play four games in five days. Following the two games at the CBE Classic in Kansas City on Monday and Tuesday, the Falcons host Radford at Clune Arena on Wednesday.
First Top Ten Opponent Since `98
Duke is the first opponent ranked in the Top Ten since the Falcons played fifth-ranked Utah on Feb. 21, 1998. The Falcons have never beaten a Top Ten ranked team.
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.
Three-Point Streak
Air Force has made a three-point shot in 419 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.
Burtschi Ties Career Steals Lead
With his steal against Colorado on Saturdya, senior Jacob Burtschi is tied for the career lead in steals at Air Force. He has 148, tying him with Raymond Dudley, who played from 1986-90.
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).
Falcons Receive Votes in ESPN Poll
Air Force received votes in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll released Nov. 12. The Falcons received 25 votes, good for 32nd 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.
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
24 Wins Set 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.
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 and Iowa.
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.
Second Time With 30-Point Wins
Air Force's 36-point victory at Stanford and 38-point win at Colorado marked just the second time in school history that the Falcons have won consecutive games by 30 points or more. The first time was in the program's inaugural season of 1956-57, when AFA defeated Colorado College, 104-53, and Eastern New Mexico, 102-69. Both of those games were at home.
