AIR FORCE vs. TCU

3 THINGS TO WATCH

1. AIR FORCE F GRANT PARKERIt was a depleted Falcons team that lost at TCU on Jan. 6 in both teams’ Mountain West Conference opener. Air Force was without four players who had started nonconference games (center Sammy Schafer, forward/center Grent Parker, guard/forward Taylor Stewart and guard Avery Merriex), and starter Mike McLain left the game late after suffering a concussion. But all except Schafer and Stewart are back in the lineup, and Parker – the Falcons’ leading scorer – seems to be rounding into form, having scored in double figures in three straight games.

2. TCU G RONNIE MOSSThe Horned Frogs’ 6-foot-2 sophomore guard, known as “Tuffy,” leads TCU with 14.3 points per game and 6.4 assists per game (best in the MWC and third-best among NCAA Division I players). Moss scored a career-high 30 points in TCU’s game against New Mexico on Jan. 30.

3. AIR FORCE G TODD FLETCHERAfter playing splendidly against UNLV and Wyoming, making nine assists and just two turnovers, Fletcher “played like a freshman,” Air Force coach Jeff Reynolds said, in the loss at San Diego State on Tuesday. Fletcher, who made three turnovers and two assists against the Aztecs in 17 minutes, looked tired after playing all but three minutes in the UNLV and Wyoming games. Can he bounce back?

Quote to Note: “They’ve lost four in a row, so they’re probably looking at us as a chance to get back on the winning track.” –Air Force coach Jeff Reynolds on TCU.

Note to Quote: Air Force has lost three straight games to TCU including a 59-50 loss in Fort Worth on Jan. 6. The Falcons won five of the teams’ first six meetings after the Horned Frogs joined the Mountain West Conference for the 2005-06 season.

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