FACTS & STATS: Site: Thomas & Mack Center (18,500) -- Las Vegas, Nevada. Television: The Mtn. Home Record: Air Force 7-10, BYU 14-2. Away Record: Air Force 1-9, BYU 9-3. Neutral Record: Air Force 2-1, BYU 1-1. Conference Record: Air Force 0-16, BYU 12-4. Series Record: BYU leads, 49-12.

GAME NOTES: Fresh off their first-ever win in the Mountain West Conference Tournament, the Air Force Falcons try to repeat the feat today as they face off against top-seeded BYU in the 10th annual event at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

The ninth seed in the tourney this year, not only were the Falcons coming into this postseason without any measure of success in previous attempts, the academy had also dropped every single MWC battle during the 2008-09 regular season as well. On Wednesday, the Falcons ended both droughts by posting a 71-67 victory versus eighth-seeded Colorado State in the opening round. The win was the first for Air Force since it defeated Dartmouth back in late December.

As for the Cougars, a team that has played in the title game each of the last two years but both times falling to UNLV, they closed out the regular slate with four straight wins and nine in the last 10 games overall. The team produced a 12-4 conference mark, good enough to get the group the top spot in the standings and an easier route to the conference tourney title tilt, supposedly. In terms of the all-time series between these two squads, BYU holds a commanding 49-12 advantage after sweeping both regular season matchups.

The Cougars own a 3-1 edge in games played at neutral sites as well. The winner of this meeting will be back in action on Friday night in the semifinals versus the survivor of the UNLV/San Diego State contest.

Air Force shot a collective 60.5 percent from the field on Wednesday against the Rams, which made it more understandable why the academy was limited to just three offensive rebounds. Andrew Henke and Evan Washington both tallied 18 points off the bench for the group, followed by Anwar Johnson and Grant Parker with 15 and 12 points, respectively, as the Air Force reserves outscored the CSU bench by a whopping 52-15 margin. Henke is listed as the top scorer for the program with his 13.0 ppg, shooting an impressive 42.2 percent behind the three-point line while also clearing better than four rebounds per game. Johnson and Matt Holland contribute another 11.5 and 10.5 ppg, respectively, but in the two games versus BYU this season only Henke was in double digits with 13.0 ppg. During those two contests, the Cougars held the academy to a scant 49.5 ppg and watched as the Falcons made just 64.3 percent at the free-throw line.

For the second year in a row, the Cougars had a pair of players earn a spot on the All-MWC First Team as both Lee Cummard and Jimmer Fredette made the cut. Playing more than 32 minutes per game, Cummard paced the unit with his 17.1 ppg and was second on the glass with close to six and a half rebounds per outing. Like Cummard who knocked down an impressive 85.7 percent at the free- throw line this season, Fredette also made good on 85 percent en route to his 16.0 ppg. When he wasn't spending quality time at the free-throw line, Fredette was issuing a team-best 128 assists. On the other end of quite a few of those helpers was Jonathan Tavernari who finished the 30-game campaign with 16.1 ppg and 7.2 rpg. Between the trio there is close to 50 ppg, which would account for about two-thirds of the squad's offense (77.9 ppg). Defensively the Cougars held foes to only 29.9 percent behind the three-point line and 64.6 ppg.

Now that the Falcons have gotten the multiple monkeys off their backs, it is time to return to both reality and the loss column as BYU sprints through this round of action.

Predicted Outcome

BYU 81, Air Force 54