Quick hitters: A look at Air Force basketball’s upcoming matchup with Nevada
Air Force’s Mountain West slate didn’t begin the way the Falcons hoped, as they lost 88-60 at home to Utah State last Tuesday.
It’s worth noting that USU is very good: The Aggies, ranked No. 20 in the AP Poll, are 14-1 and have won 13 games in a row. But nevertheless, the game wasn’t pretty.
The Falcons face another quality opponent Tuesday with a road test against Nevada.
Here’s what to know before that game:
Last time out
The Falcons were no match for the Aggies’ size.
Air Force (7-6) allowed 52 points in the paint, many of which went to USU big man Great Osobor. He led the Aggies with 32 points on 11-of-14 shooting.
Utah State didn’t just shoot well inside, though, as the Aggies finished the game shooting 63% from the field.
With how well the Aggies played on offense, it was a bad time for some of Air Force’s premier scorers to have slow nights. Beau Becker, the team’s third-leading scorer, finished with only two points, while team leader Ethan Taylor, averaging 17.2 ppg, scored 12.
A bright spot, though, was how many different Falcons entered the games. After Air Force played only seven players in the non-conference finale against Northern Colorado, 11 Falcons entered the game against USU.
Coach Joe Scott applauded the off-the-bench performances of Byron Brown and Luke Kearney. Caleb Walker, Kolby Gilles and Brady Ruggles entered the game too but did not score.
While the reserve performances weren’t game-changing, it’s encouraging that Scott is testing new guys, as the Falcons will need depth in conference play.
A look at the Wolf Pack
Nevada is No. 30 in the NET rankings with a 14-1 record.
The Wolf Pack defeated teams from power conferences in the non-conference, including Georgia Tech, TCU and Washington. They also beat quality mid-major squads like Weber State at Hawaii, with their only loss coming to Drake.
Nevada opened Mountain West play with a 72-57 win over Fresno State on the road.
Senior Jarod Lucas, an Oregon State transfer playing his second year at Nevada, leads the Wolf Pack with 17.8 points per game. Fellow senior Kenan Blackshear is just behind him at 16.2 points per game.
Nevada has the Mountain West’s third-best team field-goal percentage, 47.7%, behind only Colorado State and Utah State. The Wolf Pack also excel at drawing fouls, leading the league with 18.8 free throws made per game.
Nevada has reached the NCAA Tournament four times since 2017, most recently receiving an at-large bid in 2023. The Wolf Pack are coached by Steve Alford, who previously served as the head coach at UCLA, New Mexico and Iowa.
Notes from around the Mountain West
After only a week of MW play, only four teams — Utah State, Nevada, San Diego State and Boise State — are undefeated in conference play.
But that doesn’t tell the full story.
Five teams are ranked in the top 40 of the NET rankings and six are in the top 70. Wyoming, projected to be one of the conference’s bottom feeders, upset 12-2 New Mexico on the road to open conference play.
Four teams — Air Force, UNLV, San Jose State and Fresno State — haven’t won a conference game yet. The Falcons and Rebels are 0-1; the Spartans and Bulldogs are 0-2.
Air Force’s Ethan Taylor prepares to dunk against Northern Colorado on Dec. 21.
Air Force’s Kellan Boylan attempts to grab a rebound against Northern Colorado on Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023.