Falcons Host IPFW in First of Four Straight at Clune
12/1/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 1, 2006
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Site
Clune Arena (5,834), USAFA, Colo.
Radio
The Air Force Basketball Network. Locally on Fox Sports Animal AM 1300 in Colorado Springs and KYOL 1510 AM in Denver. Tony Desiere will handle the play-by-play.
TV
None
Live Stats
www.goairforcefalcons.com (Gametracker)
Recent Results
Air Force defeated Wake Forest, 94-58, Wednesday night at the Colorado Springs World Arena. IPFW defeated Southeast Missouri, 84-65, Wednesday night in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
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 56-39, including a 31-8 mark at Air Force. IPFW is coached by Dane Fife, who is in his second season at the school. He has a record of13-22 with the Mastodons. Fife played collegiately at Indiana University.
Series
Air Force leads the series, 3-0. The Falcons defeated IPFW, 77-42, last season at Clune Arena.
Third Place at CBE Classic
Air Force finished third at the 16-team College Basketball Experience Classic with a 67-53 victory over Texas Tech on Nov. 21 in the third-place game in Kansas City, Mo. The Falcons defeated their second Big 12 opponent this season, also defeating Colorado, 84-46, in Boulder on Nov. 18.
McCraw Named to All-Tourney Team
Senior Matt McCraw was named to the CBE Classic all-tournament team after scoring a season-high 18 points and grabbing a team-high six rebounds against Texas Tech in the third-place game. McCraw scored nine points in the semis vs. Duke.
CBE Classic Regional Champs
With its 79-45 victory over Stanford on Nov. 15, Air Force captured the Stanford Region of the CBE Classic and was the only non-home team to advance to the CBE Classic semifinals in Kansas City. Duke, Texas Tech and Marquette were the other teams at the tournament.
Burtschi Named Region MVP
Senior Jacob Burtschi was named the most valuable player for the Stanford Region of the CBE Classic. 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.
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
Air Force 94, Wake Forest 58
Nov. 29, 2006, Colo. Spgs., Colo.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) -- Skip Prosser looked to the heavens frequently for answers during a lopsided loss to Air Force. The Wake Forest coach couldn't find any.
"I tried everything," Prosser said. "It didn't make a difference."
Jacob Burtschi scored 21 points and Matt McCraw added 18 as Air Force cruised to a 94-58 victory over previously unbeaten Wake Forest Wednesday night.
"You can hope teams miss and make them miss," Prosser said. "We didn't do a very good job of that."
The numbers reflected that statement.
All five starters reached double figures. Nick Welch had 17 points and 10 rebounds for his first career-double-double, Tim Anderson had 13 and Dan Nwaelele 11 as Air Force (7-1) won its third straight.
The Falcons shot 60 percent from the field, were 11-for-23 on 3-pointers and never trailed after Burtschi's free throw put them ahead 10-9.
"I reminded our team to play within ourselves and play our game with offensive and defensive discipline," Air Force coach Jeff Bzdelik said. "When you don't care who shoots the basketball we have a chance to play with anybody and we have proved that."
Kyle Visser led Wake Forest (5-1) with 14 points, but had trouble getting the ball against a variety of zone defenses. He was also victimized by the backdoor cuts and motion offense that Air Force uses to wear down opponents.
Wake Forest had trouble with the motion offense and 3-point shooting of Air Force after Jamie Skeen's 3-pointer helped build a 7-0 lead. After Visser's layup with 16:24 left, the Demon Deacons were outscored 15-0, with Burtschi providing eight points of his 14 first half points.
Air Force, which was 6-for-9 on 3-pointers, got one each from McCraw and Anderson and outscored the Demon Deacons 13-4 over the final 3:50 of the half. The Falcons shot a sizzling 64 percent in the period, compared with Wake Forest's 29 percent, to lead 47-23 at the break.
Wake Forest got more of the same in the second half. Welch accounted for Air Force's first eight points of the period and after Burtschi's 3-pointer and McCraw's uncontested dunk, the Falcons' lead was 60-29.
Notes from the Wake Forest Game
Team
-- Air Force is 7-1 for the second consecutive year and second time in program history
-- Air Force's 94 points are the most since scoring 111 vs. Denver on Feb. 16, 1999
-- Air Force has made a three-pointer in 423 consecutive games
-- Air Force had a season-high 23 assists, the most in a game since 23 vs. Georgia Southern on Jan. 1, 2003
-- Air Force shot a season-high 60 percent from the field
Individual
-- Nick Welch posted the first double-double of his career with 17 points and a career-high 10 rebounds
-- Tim Anderson dished out a career-high seven assists
-- Grant Parker scored the first points of his career
7-1 Ties Best Start Ever
Air Force's 7-1 record ties the best start ever in program history after eight games, equalling the team's record from last season.
Seven Games in 12 Days!!
Air Force started the season playing seven games in 12 days, including four games in five days, culminating with its 83-59 victory over Radford last Wednesday. Air Force was just one of three Division I teams (Winston-Salem College and Fairfield Univ.) to play seven games before Thanksgiving this season.
First Top Ten Opponent Since `98
Duke was the Falcons' first opponent ranked in the Top Ten since AFA played fifth-ranked Utah on Feb. 21, 1998. The Falcons have never beaten a Top Ten 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.
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 Sets Career Steals Mark
With his two steals against Radford on Nov. 22, senior Jacob Burtschi became the all-time steals leader at Air Force. He has 151, three more than Raymond Dudley, who played from `86-90.
Falcons Receive Votes in Polls
Air Force received votes in both the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and the AP poll released Nov. 27. The Falcons received 35 votes in teh coaches poll and eight in the AP poll.
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
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).
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. In addition, the Falcons finished the season in the Top 20 in the nation in seven other categories.
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 19
The Falcons have an 19-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 27
With its 83-59 victory over Radford on Nov. 22, Air Force has a 27-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.
Falcons vs. the ACC
Air Force is now 3-8 overall against teams in the ACC, with all three victories coming in the last two seasons.
The Falcons' defeated Miami and Georgia Tech last year, giving 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.
AFA in the Computer Rankings
The Falcons have posted their highest ratings ever in the Sagarin ratings and CollegeRPI this season. The Falcons were No. 13 in the Sagarin on Nov. 30 following the victory over Wake Forest, and No. 14 in CollegeRPI on Nov. 20. The Falcons are currently No. 16 in CollegeRPI (as of Nov. 30).
All Five Starters in Double Figures
All five of Air Force's starters are averaging in double figures this season. Jacob Burtschi leads the way at 15 ppg, followed by Nick Welch (12.3), Dan Nwaelele (12.3), Matt McCraw (11.8) and Tim Ansderson (11.1).
Up Next
The Falcons host Texas-Pan American on Wednesday, Dec. 6 at Clune Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Three-Point Streak
Air Force has made a three-point shot in 423 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.
