Falcons Host New Mexico Tuesday Night
1/8/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 8, 2007
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Site
Clune Arena (5,834), USAFA, Colo.
Radio
The Air Force Basketball Network. Locally on NewsRadio 740 KVOR in Colorado Springs and KYOL 1510 AM in Denver. KVOR's Jim Arthur handles the play-by-play.
TV
None
Live Stats
www.goairforcefalcons.com (Gametracker)
Recent Results
Air Force defeated UNLV, 56-50, Saturday at Clune Arena. New Mexico lost to Colorado State, 88-79, Saturday in Albuquerque.
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 64-39, including a 39-8 mark at Air Force. Bzdelik was the head coach at UMBC for two years from 1986-88. New Mexico is coached by Ritchie McKay (Seattle Pacific, 1987), who is in his fifth season with the Lobos. He is 78-58 at the school and has a 161-147 career record in 10+ seasons.
Series
New Mexico leads the all-time series, 41-16. The teams split two games last season, with Air Force winning 51-46 at Clune Arena and UNM winning, 62-59 in Albuquerque.
2-0 in Conference Play
Air Force improved to 2-0 in Mountain West Conference action with a 56-50 victory over UNLV Saturday at Clune Arena. The Falcons are 2-0 in the conference for the fourth consecutive season.
15-1 Best Start Ever
Air Force's 15-1 record is the best start ever in program history after 16 games, bettering the team's record of 14-2 from last season by one game.
Top Twenty in Both Polls
For the fourth straight week, the Falcons achieved their highest ranking ever in both national polls. AFA moved up one spot into a tie at No. 15 with Nevada in this week's USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll and two spots to No. 18 in the Associated Press poll.
Nearly Unbeatable at Clune
The Falcons have been close to unbeatable at Clune Arena the last four seasons. Including the final home game of the 2002-03 season (a 68-60 victory over New Mexico), Air Force has won 48 of its last 49 home games. The team was 13-0 in `03-04, 12-1 in `04-05 (lost to Utah, 65-56, on Feb. 19), 15-0 last season and is 7-0 this year. AFA's 47-1 home record since the beginning of the 2003-04 season is the second-best in the country for winning percentage, behind Gonzaga (45-0). In addition, the Falcons have won 23 of their last 24 MWC games at Clune Arena.
Conference Openers
Air Force opened MWC play last Wednesday at Colorado State. With their 81-75 victory, the Falcons are now 6-21 all-time in conference openers. They were 2-17 in conference openers in their 19 years in the Western Athletic Conference, with the two victories coming against San Diego State (86-75) in 1986-87 and Colorado State (69-58) in 1992-93. Air Force is 4-4 in conference openers since the Mountain West Conference began play in 1999. Three victories have come at the expense of Colorado State, including a 58-53 win at Clune Arena in 2004, and a 65-57 triumph in Fort Collins during the 2003-04 season. The Falcons downed BYU, 75-59, at Clune Arena in last season's MWC opener.
Up Next
The Falcons continue play in the Mountain West Conference on Saturday, Jan. 13 when they play Wyoming in Laramie. Tip-off is at 2 p.m.
Last Time Out
Air Force 56, UNLV 50
Jan. 6, 2007, USAFA, Colo.
AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AP) -There was no doubt in Nick Welch's mind that the UNLV-Air Force game was going to go down to the wire as a matchup of teams on 10-game winning streaks should.
He was right.
Welch scored on a drive as the shot clock expired to give No. 20 Air Force a six-point lead with just under a minute to play and the Falcons went on to a 56-50 victory Saturday.
The play that led to the big basket wasn't supposed to be for Welch.
"We were trying to actually run a play for Danny (Nwaelele)," Welch said. "The play kind of broke down because they kept him from getting the ball. Matt (McCraw) tried to create there and make a play, and whenever he threw me the ball, my guy just kind of lunged out at me. They were really trying to deny every pass, so I just took it there and went in for two, and it was a huge bucket."
Welch, Nwaelele and McCraw all had 13 points for Air Force (15-1, 2-0 Mountain West) in its 11th straight win since a loss to No. 5 Duke.
Wendell White had 20 points for the Runnin' Rebels (14-3, 1-1), who didn't have to look far for a reason that their winning streak was snapped.
UNLV was 20-for-56 from the field, including 1-for-18 from 3-point range.
UNLV scored the last four points of the first half to get within 27-22. The Runnin' Rebels then scored the first seven points of the second half to go up 29-27.
Air Force finally took the lead for good at 45-43 on a jumper by Nwaelele with 6:33 to play.
Gaston Essengue and Joel Anthony both had 10 points for UNLV. Air Force wasn't that much better on 3-pointers than UNLV (3-for-12), but the Falcons were 19-for-39 from the field overall.
Notes from the UNLV Game
Team
-- Air Force made a season-low 19 field goals and three 3-pointers
-- Air Force attempted a season-low 12 three-pointers
-- Air Force had a season-low eight assists
-- Air Force's streak of consecutive games shooting 50 percent or better from the filed was snapped at eight
-- Air Force shot better than 50 percent from the field in the first half for the 10th straight game
Air Force Tops MWC Last 3+ Years
Air Force has posted the best regular season MWC record since the beginning of the 2003-04 MWC schedule. AFA's conference regular season record is 35-11, seven games better than Utah's 28-18 mark.
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. 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
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 currently has 164, 13 more than Raymond Dudley, who played from `86-90.
Nwaelele is All-Time 3-Pt% Leader
Seniors Dan Nwaelele and Matt McCraw are in a heated battle for the No. 1 spot on Air Force's career list for three-point percentage. Following his 24-for-39 (61.5%) performance the last seven games, Nwaelele continues to lead. He is shooting 47.8 percent (138-289) from behind the arc, while McCraw is at 47.1 percent (176-374). Third place on the list is Raymond Dudley, the school's career scoring leader, at 39.6 percent (285-720).
Home Win Streak at 24
The Falcons have a 24-game winning streak at Clune Arena. The team's current home-court winning streak is tied with BYU for the third-longest in the nation, behind Gonzaga and Connecticut.
Non-Conference Home Streak at 31
With its 70-47 victory over Norfolk State on Wednesday, Dec. 13, Air Force has a 31-game winning streak at home against non-conference opponents. The last loss at home to a non-Mountain West team at Clune Arena was against Tennessee Tech on Dec. 29, 2001 (64-44).
Third-Longest Winning Streak
Air Force's 11-game winning streak is the third-longest in school history. The Falcons rattled off a school-record 13 straight victories in 2003-04 and won 12 consecutive games last season.
NCAA Record vs. Colorado College
Air Force held Division III Colorado College to an NCAA-record six points in the first half in the Falcons' 82-31 victory on Dec. 9. The previous low for a half since the shot clock was introduced for the 1985-86 season was the seven scored by Central Michigan in trailing Ohio University by 28 points on Jan. 14, 2006.
Starters Shooting Lights Out
Four of Air Force's five starters are shooting at least 50 percent from the field this season. Forward Dan Nwaelele leads the team at 61.4% (78-127). Tim Anderson is second at 55.1% (49-89), followed by Nick Welch at 53.4% (63-118) and Jacob Burtschi at 52.9% (81-153). Matt McCraw is the only starter below 50 percent, at 47.2% (50-106). The five starters as a group are shooting 54.1 percent (321-593). In fact, of the 15 players on the roster that have attempted at least five field-goal attempts this season, only five (including McCraw) are shooting below 50 percent.
Nwaelele Shares MWC Award
Senior Dan Nwaelele and Colorado State junior Jason Smith were named Mountain West Conference Men's Basketball Co-Players of the Week on Dec. 4. A 6-5 forward from Bothell, Wash., Nwaelele averaged 18.5 points and four rebounds per game as the Falcons pushed their win streak to four games. Nwaelele contributed 11 points and five boards in a 94-58 rout of Wake Forest on Wednesday, then pumped in a career-high 26 points in a 78-66 win over IPFW on Saturday. Nwaelele was almost perfect against IPFW, making 6-of-7 from the field, including all three of his 3-point attempts, and was 11-of-11 from the free-throw line. Smith, a 7-0 center from Kersey, Colo., averaged 19.5 points and seven rebounds per game to help the Rams extend their win streak to four games. Smith narrowly missed a double-double with 24 points and nine rebounds in an 81-73 win over Denver on Wednesday, going 9-of-10 from the field. On Saturday, the junior center added 15 points and five rebounds in an 84-83 thriller over Kansas State.
All Five Starters in Double Figures
Four of Air Force's five starters are averaging in double figures this season. Dan Nwaelele leads the way at 14.8 points per game, followed by Jacob Burtschi (14.2), Matt McCraw (12.0), Nick Welch (10.2) and Tim Anderson (10.1).
AFA in the Computer Rankings
The Falcons posted their highest rating ever in the Sagarin ratings and CollegeRPI on Jan. 8 following their win over UNLV. Air Force is No. 5 in the Sagarin and No. 9 in CollegeRPI.
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.
Welch Joins the 200-100 Club
With his steal on Dec. 13 against Norfolk State, Nick Welch became the ninth player in school history to record 200 assists and 100 steals in his career. Welch currently has 216 assists and 104 steals in his career.
Tied for Second with 11-Game Streak
The Falcons are tied for second in the country for the longest winning streak with 11 consecutive wins. Clemson has won 16 straight games, followed Air Force, New Mexico State and Wisconsin with 11.
Tied for Second with 15 Wins
The Falcons are tied for the second in the country for most victories with 15. Clemson leads the way with 16 wins. Air Force is tied with Oklahoma State and Wisconsin.
First to 15 in MWC
With their victory over UNLV on Saturday, the Falcons became the first Mountain West Conference teams to win 15 games this season. Air Force tops the league standings with its 15-1 overall record and 2-0 mark in the MWC.
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.
No. 1 in Nation in 3-Point Shooting
The Falcons are ranked No. 1 in the country in three-point shooting, at 45.7 percent, and fewest turnovers per game, at 10.2, in the latest NCAA Division I statistics (Jan. 8). Air Force is ranked in the Top 10 in six other categories and in the Top 20 in one other category:
Falcons in National Stats
Senior Dan Nwaelele is ranked second in the country for three-point percentage (55.4 percent) in the latest NCAA Division I statistics (Jan. 8). Nwaelele, who is also No. 2 in the Mountain West Conference in 3-point shooting (41-for-74), is shooting 61.4 percent (78-127) from the field this season. Senior Matt McCraw is 17th in the country, shooting 49.3 percent (35-71), from three-point range. Junior Tim Anderson is 29th in the country in free-throw shooting at 88.5 percent, while teammate Jacob Burtschi is 81st in field-goal percentage at 52.9 percent.
Tied For #2 for 30-Point Wins
Air Force is tied for second in the nation with six victories of 30 points or more this season. Texas A&M has seven, while the Falcons are tied with Notre Dame with six.
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 on Nov. 22. Air Force was just one of three Division I teams (Winston-Salem College and Fairfield Univ.) to play seven games before Thanksgiving this season.
Henke vs. Henke
Sophomore Andrew Henke faced his brother, Mitch, a junior at Santa Clara, in the championship game of the Cable Car Classic. Andrew scored a career-high 13 points in 27 minutes of action and was named the tournament's top sixth man. Mitch, meanwhile, did not score against the Falcons and played just four minutes after spraining his ankle on Dec. 23 against Utah State.
UNC Game Postponed
Due to extreme winter weather and travel complications, Air Force's game against Northern Colorado scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 23, was postponed. No make up date has been set.
Winning Handily
12 of Air Force's 15 victories this season have been by 10 points or more. The only single-digit wins were the 69-68 victory over Long Beach State at the CBE Classic and the six-point wins over CSU and UNLV. Eight of the team's wins have been by more than 20 points and six of those have been by 30 points or more.
Three-Point Streak
Air Force has made a three-point shot in 431 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.
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. Duke defeated the Falcons, 71-56, in the semifinals.
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 Nov. 15, the third double-double of his career.
Cable Car Classic Champions
With Air Force's 78-48 victory over Santa Clara on Dec. 29, the Falcons claimed the title at the Cable Car Classic. The Falcons defeated George Washington, 66-52, in the first round on Thursday. The tournament title was Air Force's third in program history. The Falcons captured the Evansville Invitational in 1972 and the Golden Bear Classic in 2003. Air Force is 5-1 in tournament games this season after going 3-1 in the CBE Classic in November.
Burtschi Named Cable Car MVP
Senior Jacob Burtschi earned the most valubale player award at the Cable Car Classic after averaging 18.5 points and five rebounds in the two games. Seniors Dan Nwaelele and Matt McCraw were named to the all-tournament team and sophomore Andrew Henke was named the Classic's top sixth man.
Falcons vs. the ACC
With its 1-1 record this season, (defeated Wake Forest, lost to Duke), 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.
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 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.
