Air Force hit high point vs. Cardinal 2 years ago

STANFORD, Calif. • A search for the pinnacle of Air Force men's basketball in the past decade might lead you to Maples Arena on the Stanford University campus.

Two years and 11 days prior to Air Force's game Wednesday night in the same building, the Falcons steam-rolled a Cardinal team that would go on to win 18 games and earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Air Force built a 24-point halftime lead, never led by fewer than 21 in the second half and cruised to a 79-45 victory.

Then-Stanford coach Trent Johnson labeled it a "good, old-fashioned tail-whipping."

Air Force had four returning senior starters from the 2005-06 team that made the NCAA Tournament plus senior Nick Welch, a former Mountain West Conference Co-Player of the Year. Those players led a 54.9 percent shooting effort that included 17-of-24 shooting in the first half. "I remember us shooting the lights out," said senior Matt Holland, a sophomore in that game.

"I think it was as near a perfect offensive game as any college basketball team can play," said Air Force coach Jeff Reynolds, who was an assistant to Jeff Bzdelik during the 2006-07 season. "Not only did we execute, we shot the ball to near perfection."

Wednesday night provided a jarring juxtaposition. This time it was Stanford that couldn't miss early - the Cardinal hit 11 of its first 16 shots, including six of nine from 3-point range, to build a 29-12 lead. And a rebuilding Air Force team had seven turnovers - one more than it did in the entire game two seasons ago - in its first 12 possessions.

Etc.

Air Force will have today off before returning to practice Friday and Saturday for Sunday's game against Norfolk State at Clune Arena.