Air Force Falcons - NCAA Basketball Betting

The renaissance of the Air Force Falcons men's basketball program continued this season, the second under head coach Jeff Bzdelik, with a third invitation to the Big Dance in the last four years.

With four senior starters back from a team that went 24-7 last season and gave Illinois a tough first-round game in the NCAA tournament, the Falcons entered 2006 as the favorites in the Mountain West Conference. This despite losing Antoine Hood - the face of the team and their best player. Decisive early-season wins over Stanford and Texas Tech helped the Airmen to a 17-1 start. But their January loss at last-place Utah raised a few questions.

The Falcons are patient and particular on offense, and very effective at freeing up their sharpshooters, of which they have several. Hence their team field-goal, three-point and free-throw shooting percentages, which all rank among the best in Division 1.

When Air Force is on target, and they are a good part of the time, they could give almost anyone a scare. When the Falcons are off, their deficiencies, rebounding and athleticism, become apparent.

Six-six senior forward Jacob Burtschi does what he can on the boards, as does 6-8 senior center – in name only - Nick Welch. The MWC's co-Player of the Year in 2004 missed all of last season redshirting from leg and foot injuries.

Senior swingman Dan Nwaelele might be the best shooter in the Mountain West, while fellow senior Matt McGraw is a complete player who shoots 90% from the free-throw line. Sophomore guard Andrew Henke, another mad bomber, began making significant contributions in the second half of the season.

Air Force gets outboarded almost nightly, and they'll have a very tough time against physical teams. The Falcons have won almost 90 games over the course of the last four seasons. This season they won many times by 20 points or more, and also managed to hold some opponents to fewer than 50 points.

A first-round win in the NCAA men's college basketball tournament is doable; two wins is probably asking too much.

AIR FORCE FALCONS TO WATCH:

Jacob Burtschi – Falcons' intangibles guy does it all, and with a bit of an attitude.

Dan Nwaelele – Senior sharpshooter leads squad of marksmen.

Nick Welch – Mountain West Co-Player of the Year as a sophomore two seasons ago.

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