Dec. 12, 2006
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
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 Colorado College, 82-31, Saturday afternoon at Clune Arena. Norfolk State lost to Florida Atlantic, 77-64, on Dec. 2 in Boca Raton, Fla.
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 59-39, including a 34-8 mark at Air Force.
Norfolk State is coached by Dwight Freeman (Western State, 1982), who is in his fifth season with the Spartans. He is 53-68 at the school and 99-123 in his eight-year career. He was the head coach at Marshall from 1990-94.
Series
This is the first meeting bewteen the two schools.
10-1 Ties Best Start Ever
Air Force's 10-1 record ties the best start ever in program history after 11 games, equalling the team's record from last season.
Highest Ranking Ever, Again
The Falcons moved up three spots to No. 20 in this week's USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll and entered the Associated Press poll at No. 24. Both of those rankings are the highest ever in program history. Air Force's previous high in the AP poll was 25th on March 8, 2004. That marked the first and only time the Falcons were ranked in either poll before Monday, Dec. 4. This week's polls can be found on page 4 of this release.
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.
Up Next
The Falcons take a break for finals before returning to action on Saturday, Dec. 23 against Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colo. Tip-off is scheduled for
1 p.m.
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
Last Time Out
Air Force 82, Colorado College 31
Dec. 9, 2006, USAFA, Colo.
USAFA, Colo. (AP) -- Air Force held Division III Colorado College to an NCAA-record six points in the first half and went on to an 82-31 victory Saturday.
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.
Even with veteran point guard Matt McCraw sidelined with an ankle injury suffered in practice last week, the game was out of reach from the start. The Falcons (10-1) forced 13 turnovers and raced to a 30-point lead with 9:30 remaining in the first half before Nate Brodman finally put the Tigers (1-9) on the board with a 3-pointer from just outside the arc.
With an all-reserve lineup on the court late in the half, Air Force led 50-6 at halftime.
Air Force starters remained on the bench the entire second half, but the Falcons maintained up to a 50-point lead through the second half.
Starting forward Jacob Burtschi was the top scorer in a balanced Air Force attack with 10 points in 10 minutes of play. Starter Dan Nwaelele had nine, including a pair of 3-pointers, and reserves Adam Hood and Grant Parker also had nine.
Notes from the Colo. College Game
Team
-- Air Force is 10-1 for the second consecutive year and second time in program history
-- CC's six points in the first half are the fewest Air Force has allowed in one half in school history, and an NCAA record for fewest in any half since the shot clock was introduced in 1985-86
-- Air Force had a season-high 17 steals, the most in one game since 20 at TCU on Jan. 21, 1999
-- Air Force's 51-point margin ties the fourth largest in school history
-- AFA's 50 points in the first half are the most in one half since 54 vs. South Carolina State (12/14/99)
-- Air Force has won 22 consecutive home games, the third-longest streak in the country
-- Air Force has won 30 consecutive home games vs. non-conference opponents
-- Air Force has made a three-pointer in 426 consecutive games
-- Air Force is the first MWC team to win 10 games this season
Individual
-- Adam Hood, Avery Merriex, Matt Holland, Eric Kenzik, Anwar Johnson and Grant Parker all played career-high minutes
-- Anwar Johnson scored a career-high eight points
-- Avery Merriex scored a career-high five points
-- Adam Hood had career-highs of nine points, six assists and four rebounds
-- Eric Kenzik scored a career-high eight points
-- Grant Parker scored a career-high nine points
-- Ryan Hess appeared in the first game of his career
Three-Point Streak
Air Force has made a three-point shot in 426 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.
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
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 Wednesday, the third double-double of his career.
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 155, six 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 10-for-13 performance the last three games, Nwaelele has increased his lead. He is shooting 47.1 percent (124-263) from behind the arc, while McCraw is at 46.2 percent (160-346). Third place on the list is Raymond Dudley, the school's career scoring leader, at 39.6 percent (285-720).
Home Win Streak at 22
The Falcons have a 22-game winning streak at Clune Arena. The team's current home-court winning streak is the third-longest in the nation, behind Gonzaga and Connecticut.
Non-Conference Home Streak at 30
With its 82-31 victory over Colorado College on Saturday, Air Force has a 30-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 four seasons. Including the final home game of the 2002-03 season (a 68-60 victory over New Mexico), Air Force has won 46 of its last 47 home games. The team was 13-0 in `03-04, 12-1 in `04-05 (lost to Utah, 65-56), 15-0 last season and 5-0 this year.
AFA's 45-1 home record since the beginning of the 2003-04 season is the second-best in the country for winning percentage, behind Gonzaga.
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.
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
All five of Air Force's starters are averaging in double figures this season. Dan Nwaelele leads the way at 14.5 points per game, followed by Jacob Burtschi (13.6), Tim Anderson (11.2). Matt McCraw (11.2) and Nick Welch (11.0).
AFA in the Computer Rankings
The Falcons posted their highest ratings ever in the Sagarin ratings and CollegeRPI earlier 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. 17 in Sagarin and No. 21 in CollegeRPI (as of Dec. 11).
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.
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.
Tied for Second with 10 Wins
The Falcons are tied for second in the country for most victories with 10. Oklahoma State leads the way with 11 victories. Air Force is tied with Clemson, Butler, Pittsburgh, and Michigan with 10 wins.
First to 10 in MWC
With their victory over Colorado College last Saturday, the Falcons became the first Mountain West Conference team to win 10 games this season. Air Force tops the league standings with its 10-1 record.
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.
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% (51-83). Tim Anderson is second at 58.3% (35-60), followed by Nick Welch at 57.0% (45-79) and Jacob Burtschi at 52.3% (56-107). Matt McCraw is the only starter below 50 percent, at 41.5% (27-65).
In fact, of the 15 players on the roster that have attempted at least five field-goal attempts this season, only three (including McCraw) are shooting below 50 percent.
Anderson, McCraw in NCAA Stats
Junior Tim Anderson is 26th in the country in free-throw shooting at 91.1 percent in the latest NCAA Statistics (Dec. 11). Teammate Matt McCraw is 30th on the same list, shooting 90.3 percent from the line this season.
