Utah at Air Force preview

THREE THINGS TO WATCH

1 AIR FORCE'S 3-POINT SHOOTING

Long-range sharpshooting was one of the Falcons' strengths in recent seasons, and it was again early this season. Air Force made 75-of-160 3-point tries in its first 10 games, and its 46.9 percent mark ranked second in the nation. The Falcons rank fourth as of Tuesday with a 41.8 percent mark, but in the past five games (four of which have been losses) they've made only 27-of-84 (32.1 percent) from beyond the arc. Air Force hasn't made more than six 3s or shot better than 37.5 percent from long range since its Dec. 22 victory over Texas Southern.

2 UTAH C LUKE NEVILL

Heading into Tuesday, the 7-foot-2, 265-pound Nevill was tied for second in the Mountain West Conference in scoring (17.9 points per game), tied for first in rebounding (8.3), second in field-goal percentage (63.9) and first in blocked shots (2.4). Last season, 6-8, 240-pound Air Force center Keith Maren held his own against Nevill, limiting the big man to seven and 13 points in two meetings. But Maren has graduated, and this season, coach Jeff Reynolds said, the Falcons don't "have anyone on the roster that has (Maren's) experience or strength."

3 THE CLUNE ARENA CROWD

The mystique surrounding Air Force's gymnasium quickly is fading. After going 56-2 there in four seasons (2003-04 through 2006-07), Air Force is 19-7 at home since. This season the Falcons already have lost three games at Clune, including two straight. And there seem to be plenty of seats available. After averaging 5,064 in 2006-07 and 3,868 last season, the Falcons have drawn an average of 2,570 fans to their first 10 games.

Quote to note: "You can't let him catch the ball in the lane ... because if he catches it inside the lane, he'll score." - Reynolds on Nevill

Note to quote: Since scoring 23 points in back-to-back victories over Northern Colorado and Texas-Pan American, senior guard/forward Andrew Henke has averaged 6.7 points in the past six games. He's made only 9-of-35 field-goal attempts, including 6-of-22 3-point tries, in the stretch.