No. 10 seed Air Force (5-19, 3-17) vs. No. 7 seed UNLV (11-14, 8-10)
Mountain West Conference Tournament First Round, Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas; Wednesday, 4:30 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Air Force is set to take on UNLV in the first round of the MWC tourney. UNLV won both of the regular season matchups earlier this season. The teams last went at it on Feb. 8, when the Runnin’ Rebels shot 55.6 percent from the field while limiting Air Force to just 50 percent on their way to the 69-64 victory.
SENIOR STUDS: Air Force’s Chris Joyce, Keaton Van Soelen and Ameka Akaya have collectively scored 39 percent of all Falcons points this season, although that number has fallen to 31 percent over the last five games.ACCURATE A.J.: A.J. Walker has connected on 39.4 percent of the 127 3-pointers he’s attempted and has made 6 of 25 over the last five games. He’s also made 76 percent of his foul shots this season.
SLIPPING AT 71: UNLV is 0-12 this year when it allows 71 points or more and 11-2 when holding opponents to fewer than 71.
WINNING WHEN: UNLV is a perfect 8-0 when it holds an opponent to 60 points or fewer. The Runnin’ Rebels are 3-14 when opponents score more than 60 points.
STINGY DEFENSE: Air Force has forced opponents into committing turnovers on 21.8 percent of all possessions, the second-highest rate among all MWC teams. The Falcons have forced conference opponents into turnovers on 22.4 percent of all possessions.
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