Air Force battles Wyoming, CSU in last week to escape Mountain West cellar
Air Force’s basketball team currently sits in the cellar, but there’s a way out of it.
The Falcons are in last place in the Mountain West and would be the No. 11 seed in the conference tournament if the season ended now. Air Force is eliminated from seeds one through nine, but the Falcons could hop to No. 10.
For that to happen, the Falcons would need to win one of their last two regular-season games against Wyoming and Colorado State. They would also need San Jose State, No. 10 in the league, to lose its only remaining game at Nevada on Saturday.
Here’s a preview of Air Force’s last week, as well as San Jose State’s:
Falcons play at Wyoming
Air Force (9-19, 2-14 Mountain West) will play its final road game of the 2023-24 season on Tuesday against Wyoming, with the tipoff scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
The Falcons lost 83-72 in their first meeting against the Cowboys on Jan. 30. Sophomore Kellan Boylan made nine 3-pointers and logged 32 points. But three Cowboys scored 20 or more points, allowing them to win by double digits.
Both teams have won just once since that game. Air Force upset New Mexico on the road on Feb. 24, while Wyoming beat 10th-place SJSU on Feb. 17.
Guard Sam Griffin has been Wyoming’s most reliable player. Griffin leads the Cowboys in points (17) and assists (3.4) per game.
Home finale vs CSU
Of Air Force’s 19 defeats, the Falcons’ first meeting against Colorado State was one of their more impressive losses.
Air Force led by 12 points in the first half before the Rams came back and forced overtime. CSU outplayed Air Force in OT to win 78-69.
That game showed that the Falcons are talented enough to compete with good teams in hostile environments, and now they’ll have the chance to redeem themselves at home.
Air Force’s game against the Rams on Saturday is their last of the regular season. It would traditionally be the team’s senior night, but the Falcons’ roster doesn’t have any seniors.
Colorado State (21-9, 9-8) will enter the game on the bubble to make the NCAA Tournament, as the Rams have lost three of their last four contests. They have the week off before battling Air Force on Saturday.
How likely is it that SJSU upsets Nevada?
San Jose State’s only conference success has come against Air Force. The Spartans have won just two Mountain West games, both against the Falcons.
The Spartans struggled mightily in their first meeting against the Wolf Pack, a 90-60 loss on the road. Since that game — on Feb. 2 — only three of SJSU’s contests have been decided by single digits.
Junior guard Myron Amey Jr. has been the Spartans top performer, leading them with 15.5 points per game and a 42.6% field-goal percentage.
Air Force’s Ethan Taylor drives against Wyoming’s Kael Combs on Jan. 30 at Clune Arena.
Air Force’s Jeffrey Mills drives to the basket guarded by CSU’s Joe Palmer on Jan. 16, 2024.
Air Force’s Kellan Boylan hesitates as CSU’s Joel Scott tries for a block on Jan. 16, 2024.
