Lucky for Air Force, every team at conference tournaments starts 0-0. 

The No. 12-seeded Falcons are looking to put this season behind them after finishing 3-28, 0-20 in conference, going into Wednesday’s first-round matchup with No. 5 Nevada at the Mountain West Men’s Basketball Championship. 

Just days after a 74-59 loss to the Wolf Pack in Reno on Saturday, Air Force will face Nevada (20-11, 12-8) at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas at 3:30 p.m. MT.  

The Falcons are looking for their first tournament win since 2020, when the No. 9 Falcons beat No. 8 Fresno State 77-70 in the first round. It will be the first time Air Force faces Nevada at the tournament, and the first time it faces an opponent it ended the regular season with since BYU in 2001. 

It was an eventful season for a young Air Force team, starting with the departure of sophomore Kyle Marshall four games into the season. In January, head coach Joe Scott was suspended pending an investigation into the treatment of cadet-athletes, and then “mutually parted ways” with the academy Feb. 20. 

One of Air Force’s top scorers, Caleb Walker (10.6 ppg), missed six games after an injury against San Jose State on Jan. 13. The junior has had limited production since returning, averaging 6.8 points. 

The Falcons have lost 24 straight. Their last win was Nov. 23 against IU Indy in the Air Force Classic, which the Falcons won. 

The Mountain West Championship could serve as a clean slate for the Falcons, but Air Force has struggled in the tournament with a 6-26 all-time record. The Falcons won the 2003-2004 regular-season title (under Scott), but have never won the tournament. 

Still, anything can happen in March. Just look at the Air Force women, who fought their way to the tournament championship game this week. 

The matchup

Air Force faces a tough opponent in Nevada, which beat the Falcons twice this season: Nevada topped Air Force 81-66 at Clune Arena in January before collecting the home win Saturday, led by guard Corey Camper Jr.’s 18 points. 

The Wolf Pack finished the regular season fifth in the conference. 

In the 2025 Mountain West Championship, No. 7 Nevada fell to No. 2 Colorado State in the quarterfinals while No. 11 Air Force lost to No. 6 UNLV (68-59) in the first round.  

The Wolf Pack’s Camper was named to the All-Mountain West men’s basketball first team Tuesday and leads Nevada with 17.1 points per game. Sophomore forward Elijah Price was named to the second team and all-defensive team.

The Wolf Pack averages 75.9 points and outscores opponents by four points per game. Air Force averages 62.1 points, which is 9.8 fewer points than the Wolf Pack allows.    

Utah State averages 43.8% from the field and 75.1% from the foul line. Air Force is similarly averaging 43% shooting from the field but has struggled all season with free throws, averaging 63.4%. On Saturday, the Falcons went 7 for 17 from the foul line. 

Players to watch

Corey Camper Jr.: In his first year with the Wolf Pack, the graduate transfer from UTEP is averaging 17.1 points (fifth in MW) on 46% shooting, and averages 41.5% shooting from beyond the arc. 

Elijah Price: The sophomore has put up 54 blocks (1.7 per game) this season, second in the conference. Price is averaging 13.2 points on 74.4% shooting, and 8.6 rebounds per game. 

Kam Sanders: The Air Force freshmen have had a breakout season, led by guard Sanders, who leads the Falcons in points (12.5) and assists (3.9) per game. Sanders is Air Force’s freshman scoring (388 points) and assists record holder (120), and ranks first in scoring average by an Air Force freshman all time in the MW era.

Lucas Hobin: Hobin has made an impact this year, averaging 11.7 points per game while shooting 32.9% from 3-point range. Hobin is second behind Sanders in scoring average by a freshman all time at Air Force in the MW era, and is the Falcons’ freshman 3-point record holder with 70.

Utah State takes top seed:

The Aggies earned the No. 1 seed for the championship after edging New Mexico 94-90 Saturday to earn the regular season title (25-6, 15-5). Utah State will play the winner of No. 8 UNLV/No. 9 Wyoming on Wednesday. 

Aggies junior guard Mason Falslev was named MW Player of the Year, and Jerrod Calhoun was tabbed Steve Fisher Coach of the Year. Junior forward Karson Templin was named Sixth Man of the Year. 

MW overall records:

1. Utah State (25-6)

2. San Diego State (20-10)

3. New Mexico (22-9) 

4. Grand Canyon (20-11)

5. Nevada (20-11) 

6. Boise State (20-11) 

7. Colorado State (20-11) 

8. UNLV (16-15) 

9. Wyoming (18-13)

10. Fresno State (13-18) 

11. San Jose State (8-23) 

12: Air Force (3-28)