Air Force entered the season picked to finish last in the Mountain West in the league’s preseason poll.

The Falcons lived up to that, finishing 2-16 in conference games. That record is tied for last with San Jose State, but the Spartans have the tiebreaker after sweeping the regular-season series.

Air Force, the No. 11 seed in the Mountain West Tournament, opens the postseason on Wednesday against No. 6 New Mexico.

Here are three Air Force storylines to watch ahead of the Mountain West Tournament:

Rematch with New Mexico

Air Force opens the tournament against one of the only MW teams it beat, New Mexico.

The Falcons upset the Lobos 78-77 in Albuquerque on Feb. 24. Sophomore Rytis Petraitis hit the game-winning 3-pointer with seven seconds remaining.

That win avenged Air Force’s 85-66 home loss to the Lobos on Jan. 20.

New Mexico enters the conference tournament needing a win. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi currently has UNM in his “first four out” after the Lobos lost three of their last four regular-season games.

Recent struggles aside, UNM has one of college basketball’s best backcourts, as Jamal Mashburn Jr., Jaelen House and Donovan Dent each average 15 or more points per game. Plus, freshman big man JT Toppin averages 12.6 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.

Losses becoming more competitive

Aside from the road victory against New Mexico, wins have not come easily for the Falcons. But they’ve looked more competitive in defeat.

Air Force ended the regular season on a four-game skid, but the last three were each decided by 12 points or fewer. Two of those three close losses came to Utah State (on the road) and Colorado State, both of which are projected to make the NCAA Tournament.

It’s still not what the Falcons hope for. But the close losses are a sign that Air Force is improving, per Falcons coach Joe Scott.

“Since New Mexico, I’ve liked our approach,” Scott said. “I like how we’ve gone about our business. I see a little bit tougher of a team, I see more of an understanding of what strength means. We’re definitely improving that way.”

Petraitis makes media’s MW All-Conference team

Petraitis earned a spot on the media’s Mountain West All-Conference third team, released on Monday.

The sophomore leads Air Force in all five major categories — points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. Petraitis is averaging 15.2 points per game after averaging 10.4 as a freshman.

Per Academy guidelines, athletes are allowed to transfer before the beginning of their junior years. Petraitis said in February that he hasn’t thought any about whether or not he’d transfer after the 2023-24 season.

Regardless of what he decides, Petraitis is playing his best basketball right now.

Petraitis dropped 27 points in Air Force’s season finale against Colorado State, and he’s confident in how he — and his teammates — is playing before the conference tourney.

“We’ve been trying to work on getting stronger and getting better inside,” Petraitis said. “We as a team have to work together. We have to do what we do.”

MW MADNESS

The Mountain West enters the conference tournament in Las Vegas with the possibility of sending a record number of teams to the NCAA Tournament. The current mark for the conference came in 2013, when five of the league’s eight teams punched a ticket to the Big Dance.

The teams with the best path to a bid are listed below with their overall and Mountain West records and their current ranking by the NCAA’s NET and the much-respected metric from Ken Pomeroy.

San Diego State (22-9, 11-7) – 20 NET, 20 KenPom

The Aztecs are a lock to return to the tournament after last year’s run to the championship game.

Boise State (22-9, 13-5) – 23 NET, 38 KenPom

The Broncos are 0-9 all-time in NCAA Tournament games, but they’re likely to get another shot at it next week.

Nevada (26-6, 13-5) – 31 NET, 35 KenPom

Coach Steve Alford is looking for his 13th NCAA Tournament appearance, second with the Wolf Pack.

New Mexico (22-9, 10-8) – 28 NET, 34 KenPom

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi lists Wednesday’s game against Air Force as a must-win for the Lobos to make the field.

Colorado State (22-9, 10-8) – 36 NET, 36 KenPom

The Rams need to defeat San Jose State as 15.5-point favorites on Wednesday to solidify their résumé.

Utah State (26-5, 14-4) – 32 NET, 44 KenPom

With a new coach and no returning production on the roster, the Aggies stunned by winning the regular-season league title.

UNLV (19-11, 12-6) – 75 NET, 72 KenPom

The Rebels likely need to win the tournament, or at least advance to the title game on their home floor to be considered.