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Will second verse be better than first for Falcons?
Men's basketball team is healthier, has more home games
When the Air Force men’s basketball team opened Mountain West Conference play Jan. 6, the Falcons were a team beset by injuries and inexperience.
But the Falcons can’t lean nearly as hard on those crutches as they begin their second run through the conference on Saturday against TCU.
With leading scorer Grant Parker back in the starting lineup, only two players remain out with injuries. And one of them (sophomore Taylor Stewart) should return in about a week. Meanwhile, freshmen Michael Lyons, Todd Fletcher and Taylor Broekhuis rank second, third and eighth on the team in minutes played. And with that kind of seasoning, “I don’t consider myself a freshman anymore,” Lyons said.
Even the schedule, unfavorable in the first half of league play, sets up better. Five of Air Force’s eight remaining games – including the next two and four of the next six – are at Clune Arena.
Asked if, considering those factors, Air Force was in a better position for success in the second half of conference play, senior Mike McLain said, “Yes, in short.”
“I think our team’s getting to the point where we feel like we can start playing with a lot of the teams in our conference.”
To turn “playing with” into “beating,” here are several things the Falcons must improve in the second half of league play:
1. Crash the boards harder. The Falcons were out-rebounded in each of their first eight league games. And in league play they rank last in rebounding margin (minus-6.7 per game) and last in defensive rebound percentage (grabbing 64.1 percent).
2. Play better defense. Air Force ranks last in the league in MWC play in opponents’ field goal percentage (46.9 percent). Falcons coach Jeff Reynolds said his players need to defend better in halfcourt situations, specifically.
3. Avoid droughts. Often they’ve come after halftime when “we always are kind of flat,” McLain said. But last Tuesday the Falcons went nearly 10 minutes before scoring their first points. Air Force can’t afford to fall behind because of its inability to score points in bunches.
