Air Force at New Mexico men's basketball preview
Air Force at New Mexico
Saturday 4 p.m., University Arena
Air Force (15-13, 6-9 MWC), last game: 70-65 win vs. TCU
About the Falcons: New Mexico is not a great matchup for the Falcons because of big man Drew Gordon. Gordon is tied with San Diego State’s Kawhi Leonard for the league lead in rebounding and offensive rebounds per game in conference play. When the Lobos use their lineup of four perimeter players with Gordon down low, the undersized Falcons have to choose between doubling Gordon and leaving a shooter open, or risking Gordon dominating on the offensive boards. That’s one reason New Mexico won by 14 points in the first meeting.
New Mexico (19-11, 7-8 MWC), last game: 82-64 win at BYU
About the Lobos: Figuring out New Mexico this season is tough. The Lobos were coming off a great season, and while they lost some good players, they also had some talented returners and exciting newcomers. New Mexico has beat BYU twice – the Cougars are 27-1 against everyone else – but has also lost to Wyoming, was swept by Utah and is just 7-8 in the conference with almost no hope of an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Air Force would tie New Mexico in the final regular-season standings with a win today.
