Air Force men's basketball preview capsule
Mountain West Tournament
No. 6 Air Force vs. No. 3 UNLV
Thursday 9:30 p.m., Thomas and Mack Center, Las Vegas
Air Force (15-14, 6-10 MWC), last game: 66-61 loss at New Mexico
About the Falcons: Air Force finished the regular season pretty well, winning two in a row before losing a competitive game at New Mexico on Saturday. Although the Falcons blamed missed open shots for their 13-minute scoring drought at UNLV on Feb. 15, the Rebels have been the best team in the Mountain West at slowing down Air Force’s offense. Air Force’s 42 points at UNLV was its lowest output in conference play, and the 52 points vs. the Rebels on Jan. 15 was tied for second lowest.
UNLV (23-7, 11-5 MWC), last game: 78-58 win at Utah
About the Rebels: UNLV doesn’t have a whole lot of concern going into the conference tournament, because it is a virtual lock to get a NCAA Tournament spot. Being in front of a partisan crowd in Las Vegas should help the Rebels’ energy level though. UNLV shot the ball very well in its regular-season finale, and if that continues the Rebels will be very tough to beat. UNLV, which was eighth in the Mountain West in 3-point percentage, hit 8-of-12 3-point field goals against Utah.
