AIR FORCE ACADEMY — It’s that time of the basketball season for the Air Force men’s team, and coach Jeff Reynolds is looking only forward.
“We’re well aware of where we are and where we want to be and what it’s going to take to get there,” Reynolds said as he looked at the Mountain West Conference race. “What we do in our next three games will be vital for the success of our season.”
Air Force’s critical three-game stretch begins Wednesday at 7 p.m. when the Falcons (11-7, 3-2 MWC) host Brigham Young (15-5, 4-1), the co-leader with Nevada-Las Vegas in the conference race. The Falcons play Saturday at Texas Christian and next Wednesday at San Diego State.
With the conference season approaching the halfway mark, it’s time to think about positioning in the standings as well as possible consideration for postseason play.
Air Force advanced to the NCAA Tournament twice and the National Invitation Tournament once in the past four years and might be the best bet among Front Range Division I teams to extend the season this year. Reynolds believes it will take 17 or 18 victories to draw postseason attention.
Last season the Falcons made it to the NIT’s final four and finished 26-9. But they were swept by BYU, split two games against TCU and two against San Diego State, and fell short of getting a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
“We don’t talk about last year too much and try to push it out of our minds,” Reynolds said. “Our players are smart enough to know what a victory over (defending MWC champion) BYU would do for our program.”
BYU coach Dave Rose sees Air Force providing the same challenge the Cougars faced a year ago when they snapped the Falcons’ 30-game home win streak.
“We know Clune Arena provides a great basketball environment,” Rose said. “To win there, you basically know that you’ll have to make a few baskets at the end.”
Irv Moss: 303 954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
