+2
The Air Force Falcons were unable to defeat the TCU Horned Frogs on Wednesday night.
Coming off their biggest win of the season over No. 15 San Diego St. on Saturday, Air Force entered its Wednesday night contest against TCU with a sizable amount of momentum. The Horned Frogs were quick to make sure the positive vibes didn't linger too long with a come-from-behind 65-62 win over the Falcons. The loss drops Air Force to 13-12 and 3-8 in the Mountain West, while TCU falls to 16-11, 6-5.
Air Force took a 32-29 lead into halftime, but TCU came back in the second half behind some hot three-point shooting. J.R. Cadot led the Horned Frogs with 16 points, 13 rebounds (including eight offensive boards) and three steals on 5-of-10 shooting. Kyan Anderson added 13 points and five assists for TCU in the win.
Air Force was led by Justin Hammonds, who scored 17 points on 8-of-9 shooting and also grabbed six rebounds. Center Taylor Broekhuis (15 points) and wing Mike Fitzgerald (13 points) also played well in the loss.
For more on this game, stay with SB Nation Denver. For in-depth news and analysis of the Mountain West, visit Mountain West Connection. For news and notes around the country, head over to SB Nation's NCAA basketball news hub.
Since taking over the Air Force Falcons on February 8, interim head coach Dave Pilipovich has led the Falcons to a 2-1 record, the most recent of which was a thrilling 58-56 home victory over the San Diego State Aztecs, who were ranked No. 15 at the time. At 13-11 (3-7), Air Force has little shot to make the 2012 NCAA Tournament unless they win the Mountain West Tournament, but they still have a few major games on the ledger.
The Falcons still have two games versus ranked opponents (The UNLV Rebels and New Mexico Lobos) remaining, but before then they'll take on the TCU Horned Frogs at home on Wednesday night. TCU themselves are no slouch though, and at 15-11 (5-5) they sit above the Falcons at fifth in the conference standings. But the Horned Frogs haven't won a conference road game all season— in fact, they haven't won a road game since they defeated the Evansville Aces in early December— which is good news for an Air Force team that may be finding its groove on its home court after taking down the Aztecs there.
Game date/time: February 22, 2012, 6:00 p.m. MT
Location: Clune Arena, Colorado Springs, Colo.
TV: The MTN
Odds: Air Force by 2
For more on this game, stay with SB Nation Denver. For in-depth news and analysis of the Mountain West, visit Mountain West Connection. For news and notes around the country, head over to SB Nation's NCAA basketball news hub.
2012 Mountain West Standings: Air Force Tied For Last In Mountain West With Boise State
The good news for the Air Force Falcons is that every team in the Mountain West Conference makes the end of the year tournament. The bad news is that the Falcons are at the bottom of the conference with a 3-8 record in the Mountain West after losing to the TCU Horned Frogs.
Still, the Mountain West has every team at .500 overall or better this season. Air Force has three games remaining, the next two against ranked opponents, UNLV and New Mexico. That will likely be a preview of the Falcon's opening round game in the Mountain West Tournament since the Lobos are first in the conference and the Rebels second.
Mountain West Conference Standings
(updated 2.23.2012 at 2:14 AM EST)
For more on this game, stay with SB Nation Denver. For in-depth news and analysis of the Mountain West, visit Mountain West Connection. For news and notes around the country, head over to SB Nation's NCAA basketball news hub.
Feb 23 8:59a by Russ Oates