AFA Sports   Air Force Academy sports

Air Force learned that television rights to three more of its games were claimed on Thursday, but specifics on those remain unclear.

The Falcons home games against Wyoming on Sept. 21 and Army on Nov. 2 as well as a road game at ColoradoState on Nov. 30 will be carried on ESPN’s family of networks. That leaves ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU or ESPN3 as options for the broadcast, with all but ESPNU and ESPN3 coming with a $500,000 bonus (it is $300,000 for non-Saturdays).

Kickoff times and airing networks for those games will be determined during the course of the season.

Only the Falcons’ opener against Colgate on Aug. 31 remains unclaimed by a television network.

Here’s the full schedule as it currently stands:

Sat., Aug. 31 Colgate, time/TV TBA
Sat. Sept. 7 Utah State, 1:30 p.m. (CBS Sports)
Fri., Sept. 13 at Boise State, 6 p.m. (ESPN)
Sat., Sept. 21 Wyoming, time TBA (ESPN networks)
Sat., Sept. 28 at Nevada, 5:30 p.m. (CBS Sports)
Sat., Oct. 5 at Navy, 9:30 a.m. (CBS or CBS Sports)
Thu., Oct. 10 San Diego State, 7 p.m. (CBS Sports)
Sat., Oct. 26 Notre Dame, 3 p.m. (CBS Sports)
Sat., Nov. 2 Army, time TBA (ESPN networks)
Fri., Nov. 8 at New Mexico, 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
Thu., Nov. 21 UNLV, 7:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
Sat., Nov. 30 at Colorado State, time TBA (ESPN networks)

This is the part of the movie where you start to question everything that you’ve already seen.

Yep, that’s where we are with the Mountain West and its No. 1 conference RPI. It can now be filed alongside Keyser Soze and a dead Bruce Willis.

With San Diego State yet to tip in its game, the MW has seen a disastrous start to the NCAA Tournament. Boise State was bounced by LaSalle in a first-four matchup. No. 5 UNLV lost to No. 12 California. New Mexico, the darling of the league as its regular season and tournament champ, fell to Harvard in a No. 3 vs. 14 matchup that was the tournament’s biggest upset until No. 2 Georgetown fell to No. 15 Florida Gulf Coast.

The MW’s rough day was the talk of the national media after Thursday night. Some questioned the legitimacy of the RPI’s formula. Some questioned the tinkering MW coaches did to ensure a high RPI, sometimes scheduling D-2 opponents instead of low-rated D-1 foes. Others just thought they had misjudged the league.

This was exactly what the Mountain West wanted to avoid. All season, coaches were asked about the rise of the league and each said more or less the same thing: The league is getting better players, it has great coaching, great fan bases and it really needs its first representative in the Final Four to bring some national legitimacy.

Only Colorado State, which next plays No. 1 overall seed Louisville, and San Diego State remain alive to achieve that. And we’re only through the “second” round.

Air Force doesn’t see the tournament plot twist as anything that alters the long season that came before it.

“That’s just the tournament, with its one-and-done situation,” said Air Force coach Dave Pilipovich, who was once an assistant under Harvard coach Tommy Amaker when both were at Michigan.

“We’ve done a lot of great things as a conference, but it is disappointing,” senior Mike Fitzgerald said. “There’s still a chance for CSU to do some things. Games go as they go. Harvard got hot. New Mexico’s a great team, I don’t think this takes away from that.”

Unfortunately, it probably does. But the movie was no less entertaining because of it. And there will be a sequel.

The bounce-back of the Mountain West, which just months ago teetered on the brink of irrelevance with the looming losses of Boise State and San Diego State, took another step on Monday with announcement of a TV deal with ESPN.

CBS Sports Network remains the primary rights holder and will have first pick of games to broadcast. From Air Force’s perspective, that might not be so bad as ESPN and its family of networks would then have second choice. The Falcons might be more likely to fall to that second pick, but even a secondary ESPN network might find more eyeballs than the CBSSN.

Oh, and if you hadn’t heard, Boise State and San Diego State aren’t going anywhere. For the Broncos, their motivation to stay becomes more clear with every new broadcasting deal that includes special language for their program.

It remains to be seen how the full logistics of this deal play out. Below is the full press release from the Mountain West on Wednesday:

Mountain West Signs National Television Deal with ESPN  

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Mountain West Conference announced it has reached agreement with ESPN to be a national television rights holder for Conference-controlled football and men’s basketball games. The agreement, which begins with the 2013-14 season, was announced by Burke Magnus, ESPN senior vice president, college sports and Craig Thompson, MW Commissioner.  Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

CBS Sports Network remains the primary rights holder for the Mountain West. As part of this new agreement, CBS Sports Network and ESPN will alternate game selections (after initial picks by CBSSN) in football and men’s basketball with ESPN controlling the rights to Boise State home football games. CBS Sports Network retains the rights to Bronco road football contests.

“The Mountain West looks forward to rejoining the ESPN networks beginning with our 15th season this fall,” said MW Commissioner Craig Thompson. “Coupled with CBS Sports Network, we anticipate tremendous national exposure over several outlets as the league continues its growth and development.”

“The Mountain West Conference and its member schools are committed to competitive excellence in intercollegiate athletics, and we think the strength of our programs on the courts and fields reflect this commitment,” said Dr. Anthony A. Frank, Chair of the MW Board of Directors and President, Colorado State University. “We’re also committed to providing our student-athletes, alumni and fans national access to our competitions, and we believe this agreement with ESPN is a further step in ensuring this availability and increasing our visibility to fans of college athletics nation-wide.”

Between the two networks, up to 44 football and 56 men’s basketball games will be televised annually on their various platforms. The CBS Sports Network and ESPN agreements are scheduled to run concurrently through 2019-20.

The Mountain West is in the process of negotiating an agreement for the inaugural MW Football Championship Game with CBS Sports Network, and has retained rights to sell additional packages on the MW Digital Network and to regional/local carriers.

Air Force is taking the Kevin Bacon approach to the postseason – it just wants to dance.

“We’ll go anywhere,” coach Dave Pilipovich said Thursday.

While the NCAA Tournament isn’t going to happen, the Falcons (17-13) would gladly accept their first invitation to the NIT since a run to the semifinals in the nation’s secondary event in 2007.

The Falcons haven’t played in the NCAA Tourney or the NIT in the past six years.

With a résumé that includes an 8-8 regular-season record in the nation’s top-rated conference (by RPI) and victories over New Mexico, UNLV and San Diego State, not to mention Boise State, the Falcons would certainly seem worthy. There’s really only one terrible loss on their list – the 74-69 setback at Nevada (RPI No. 159) on Feb. 9, a game in which Air Force led by 10 points late in the second half. The only other loss to a team not in the RPI’s top 100 came at Fresno State (No. 135) on March 2, but anyone who looks closely would see that was not a bad loss. The Bulldogs, a young team that added a key transfer late in the year, sandwiched a close loss at Colorado State and a convincing win at UNLV around their home win over Air Force.

From what we’re seeing, it looks like the Falcons are a virtual lock for the NIT, with the only question whether they will be seeded high enough to host a first-round game Tuesday or Wednesday.

The wait hasn’t been fun for Air Force, particularly for its seniors. Todd Fletcher tweeted “Get us to the NIT” on Friday, with Taylor Broekhuis following with “Hate this waiting game tomorrow needs to hurry”

The Falcons will learn their fate today, likely unofficially before the NCAA’s Selection Show and officially shortly after.

Now, what Air Force might be able to do once it is in the NIT field remains to be seen. Leading scorer and rebounder Michael Lyons is finished for the season with a knee injury, a monstrous blow for the team. Still, the team should be able to compete against most teams that fall short of the NCAA bracket.

…and wouldn’t it be fun if the Falcons meet up with Kentucky in the coming weeks? That would be quite the contrast – a team loaded with players knowing they were signing up for a one-year run vs. a team full of players knowing they were signing up for four full years and another five years of active duty for their country beyond that.

This Mountain West Tournament certainly figures to be watched, as the league concluded the regular season with the No. 1 RPI. Monday’s weekly media conference call included ESPN and the New York Times in addition to the typical role call of local beat writers.

Here’s a brief team-by-team rundown of the competing schools:

NO. 1 NEW MEXICO (26-5, 13-3)

Why they’ll win it: The Lobos, with league Player of the Year Kendall Williams and Defensive Player of the Year Alex Kirk, led the standings throughout the season and have the most consistent team.

Why they won’t: Heavy is the crown – top seeds have won the tournament just twice.

NO. 2 COLORADO STATE (24-7, 11-5)

Why they’ll win it: Colton Iverson and Pierce Hornung give the Rams the best interior presence on both ends of the floor, and five seniors are in the starting lineup.

Whey they won’t: Stopping opponents on the perimeter has been troublesome to say the least (the Rams gave up 45 points or more to two guards) and a late-season swoon exposed cracks.

NO. 3 UNLV (23-8, 10-6)

Why they’ll win it: The Rebels are generally considered the most talented team in the field, they have the home-court advantage and a potential star in freshman Anthony Bennett.

Why they won’t: Inconsistency has plagued this team throughout the season. Winning three games in four days seems highly unlikely.

NO. 4 SAN DIEGO STATE (21-9, 9-7)

Why they’ll win it: Jamaal Franklin is a game-changing star who can score and rebound, and coach Steve Fisher and his squad have plenty to play for after seeing their postseason prospects take a serious hit with a 3-4 record since Feb. 13.

Why they won’t: Franklin has shot less than 44 percent in each of the Aztecs losses. Take him away and they can’t seem to recover.

NO. 5 BOISE STATE (21-9, 9-7)

Why they’ll win it: The Broncos are the league’s “it” team, with wins in five of their past six games. They have the best guard play in the conference behind Derrick Marks, Anthony Drmic and Jeff Elorriaga.

Why they won’t: They don’t have the inside bangers to make up for a cold snap from the outside.

NO. 6 AIR FORCE (17-12, 8-8)

Why they’ll win it: The Falcons run the league’s most unique and complicated offense, and though everyone has seen it, preparing on short notice will be tough. Also, the team’s five seniors desperately want to leave their mark, and they showed in Saturday’s victory over No. 12 New Mexico what they can do when motivated in such a way.

Why they won’t: The Falcons haven’t been able to find success away from Clune Arena. They defeated only Wyoming on the road in league play and most of those losses were lopsided.

NO. 7 FRESNO STATE (11-18, 5-11)

Why they’ll win it: This is a young, tall team that is finally gelling as those young inside players have learned to work together. Kansas transfer Braeden Anderson gained eligibility in February and the Bulldogs are 3-4 since he entered the starting lineup.

Why they won’t: The Bulldogs have been good at times, but haven’t shown long enough flashes to suggest they might win three times in Las Vegas. The suspension of center Robert Upshaw doesn’t help matters.

NO. 8 WYOMING (18-12, 4-12)

Why they’ll win it: They have a defense that can frustrate anyone (they held San Diego State to nine first-half points in a January victory) and the patience to play slow. Other teams will be amped up for the postseason, so this won’t be a fun matchup.

Why they won’t: Injuries and a bar fight have left their roster depleted and a lack of shooting touch has doomed a season that started with a 13-0 record.

NO. 9 NEVADA (12-18, 3-13)

Why they’ll win it: This team won the WAC Tournament last year, so it knows how to play in the postseason. Guards Malik Story and Deonte Burton are legit.

Why they won’t: This has been a year spent adjusting to the new league, the Pack isn’t ready to win it.

I didn’t make the trip to San Diego for Wednesday’s men’s basketball game because the start time (9:30 p.m. MT) was so late that the game wasn’t going to finish before our deadline. Staying behind meant I was able to attend the Senior Night women’s basketball game against San Diego State. It also meant that as soon as my story from that was filed I went in search of a spot that carried the Los Angeles-based Time Warner Sports Net so I could watch the second half.

That leads me to my thoughts from the night:

This really isn’t a college town
I’ve long understood that Colorado Springs is not a college town, but that point was driven home on Wednesday night. I left the academy at around 10:15 p.m. and started seeking a sports bar that might carry the network that was broadcasting the game. I first called Champps, but I was told it would be closing at 11 p.m. That ended that discussion since I knew the game wouldn’t be over until nearly midnight. I then called the Old Chicago off the Woodmen exit and learned it didn’t carry (or couldn’t find) the network. I then tried Buffalo Wild Wings, which, after putting me on hold for about 5 minutes, tracked down the network. It was news to the person who answered the phone that Air Force was playing. Now, I don’t expect this to be Lawrence, Kan., or Columbus, Ohio, or Austin, Texas, or any other college-obsessed town that is synonymous with the university it houses; but I also didn’t expect a televised road Air Force basketball game to be this hard to track down at a local sports bar. Once Buffalo Wild Wings was alerted that the game was taking place they put it prominently on several big screens (of course, the only other option at that hour was SportsCenter), but still, it was a wake-up call that Falcons sports are far from a local priority.

This team looks flat
Air Force had every opportunity to remain a part of what eventually became a 58-51 San Diego State victory. The Falcons missed several layups and committed several sloppy turnovers in the second half. But more than that, Air Force just looked tired compared to an energized San Diego State team. That energy largely manifested itself on the offensive glass, where the Aztecs grabbed 18 offensive boards that led to a 13-0 disparity in second-chance points. San Diego State outrebounded Air Force 45-32 overall, came up with seven steals (compared with three for AFA) and blocked five shots (compared to one). Pretty much any stat that relies on hustle and/or leaving your feet was dominated by the Aztecs. The only reason the game wasn’t more lopsided was because Air Force made 9-of-21 from 3-point range while San Diego State made just 4-of-17 from that range.

What seed can the Falcons expect?
If I’m reading the tiebreakers correctly, it’s still possible that Air Force can earn the No. 5 seed in the conference tournament. This would require Boise State to lose Saturday at home against San Diego State and Air Force to defeat New Mexico at Clune Arena on the same day. That would put the Broncos and Falcons tied. The first tiebreaker is head-to-head results, which is a wash since the teams split. The next tiebreaker looks at both teams’ record against the top team in the standings. Since, in this scenario, AFA would have defeated New Mexico, which swept Boise State, the Falcons would win the tiebreaker and be seeded fifth and face No. 4 San Diego State. If either Boise State wins or Air Force loses on Saturday, the Falcons would be seeded sixth and face likely No. 3 Colorado State (though there’s still a chance UNLV could fall from No. 2 to 3 if it loses this weekend to Fresno State and CSU beats Nevada).

Late night struggles
One thing to consider about Wednesday’s game is that the hour it was played might have had an impact. I understand the hours most college kids keep, but Air Force isn’t a normal college. The cadets are up at dawn most days, so I’m guessing they don’t generally keep late hours. The game at San Diego State didn’t end until nearly midnight local time. This could in part explain why the Aztecs dominated down the stretch after the game was tied midway through the second half.

It’s been fun to hear Mountain West coaches find new ways of praising Michael Lyons through this Air Force basketball season.

Colorado State coach Larry Eustachy tossed out names like Dominque Wilkins and Charles Barkley when trying to find a comparable performance to Lyons’ 45-point outing against his team. Boise State coach Leon Rice simply said he became a fan of Lyons after watching his improvisational style.

On Monday it was San Diego State coach Steve Fisher’s turn. While Fisher didn’t drop any of the names from his storied past – remember, he coached the Fab Five – he did offer glowing praise of the Air Force senior.

“Michael Lyons has led that ballclub,” said Fisher, who will face Lyons for the last time on Wednesday. “When they came in as freshmen they struggled, and now that they’re seniors they’ve been competitive and have been in every game they’ve played. He’s been their lynchpin; he’s the No. 1 guy. He can score in a lot of different ways. He has grown his game and the team and the program has improved significantly.”

Fisher also downplayed Air Force’s recent slide as a symptom of playing in the difficult Mountain West more than any regression with the Falcons.

“I think it’s an unforgiving league,” Fisher said. “Anybody in this league can go on a one, two, three-game losing streak. New Mexico is the only team that hasn’t. I think it’s just the nature of the difficulty of this league from top to bottom. You better be ready to play, home or away.”

San Diego State hosts Air Force at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. The game is being televised by Time Warner Cable Sports Net, which airs in West Coast regions but is available only through satellite sports packages here. There’s a strong chance that sports bars will have it. Otherwise, the game can be heard at 740 AM.

The current construction of Mountain West basketball will cease to exist with the conclusion of the conference tournament in two weeks, as the nine-team league braces for the addition of San Jose State and Utah State.

The jump to 11 (Hawaii is a football-only member, leaving the odd number) has led to scheduling issues that could be smoothed over with the inclusion of one more program. And with the MW currently ranked No. 1 in conference RPI, there would be no time like the present to find that one additional school that doesn’t play football and bring them into the fold.

If it were up to you, who would you like to see brought into the mix?

Keeping in mind this is entirely hypothetical, here are my top choices:

Gonzaga (currently in the West Coast Conference)
The Mountain West is ranked No. 1 as a conference, so why not shoot for the team that may soon be ranked No. 1 in the nation? Gonzaga doesn’t play football, so that wouldn’t be an issue. The Bulldogs would also help the Mountain West put an imprint in the Pacific Northwest as well as Seattle’s large market. It would also give Boise State a regional rival. Gonzaga has won the West Coast regular-season title in all but one season since 2000-01 and has captured 10 of the past 14 tournament titles (it was runner-up the other four times). The team needs better competition, as is clear from speculation that even a No. 1 national ranking might not assure the Zags of a top seed in the NCAA tournament (their strength of schedule ranks 68^th, leaving them No. 9 in RPI). A league with the likes of San Diego State, New Mexico and UNLV could provide that competition on an annual basis, while helping solidify the MW’s stature at a top-flight basketball league and exponentially increase its presence in the national media. It seems like a win-win for all involved.

Wichita State (currently in the Missouri Valley)
With nine NCAA Tournament berths to its credit – including three trips to the Elite Eight – as well as NBA standouts Xavier McDaniel and Antoine Carr amongst its alumni, the Shocker would bring some historical weight to a league currently short on deep basketball roots. The Shockers are also pretty good in the now, ranked No. 39 in RPI and having played in the NCAA Tournament last year and capturing NIT title the year before that. They draw well, averaging 10,312 fans per home game this year in an arena that has a capacity of 10,512. Wichita State wouldn’t, however, open a large market like Gonzaga. Wichita is a mid-90s media market – nearly identical to Colorado Springs – and the potential of penetration statewide is limited given the presence of Kansas and Kansas State. Still, from a basketball perspective, this would improve the Mountain West. It would also represent at least a slight step up for the Shockers from the Missouri Valley, and its close proximity to the Front Range wouldn’t greatly impact the miles it currently travels as part of a league with schools from Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky.

BYU (currently independent in everything but football; West Coast Conference in other sports)
The Cougars are exploring life as the Mormon answer to Catholic mainstay Notre Dame in football, trying to utilize the religious tie-ins that provide a national fan base to go at it as an independent. The school’s other athletic programs are part of the West Coast Conference. The Mountain West would be the better destination. In the Cougars last season in the MW two years ago they ranked second in road attendance at 10,542. They were charter members of the league, have fan bases in each city and geographically couldn’t be a better fit. The addition of Utah State would even provide an in-state rival to replace Utah (now a Pac-12 member). Having BYU back in the fold could also leave the door open for an eventual return for the football team if the independent route doesn’t work as planned. This is a known commodity and would help the Mountain West further dominate the Rocky Mountain region in terms of fan support.

Denver (currently in the Western Athletic Conference, slated to move to the Summit League in 2013)
Joe Scott has built the Pioneers into a legitimate team (currently ranked 75^th in RPI) and their addition would provide even more of a footprint in the large Denver media market in addition to keeping travel costs down for Air Force, Colorado State, New Mexico and Wyoming. However, it’s tough to imagine the private school with a basketball team that plays second fiddle to it’s powerful hockey program being in serious consideration. For local fans it would sure be nice.

Santa Clara (currently in the West Coast Conference)
The addition of San Jose has already set up the MW to be introduced in a new market, this would double the presence in the heavily populated area near San Francisco. This would also give some academic punch to a league that isn’t exactly known for excellence in that area. It’s tough to imagine the Mountain West providing enough competition or revenue opportunities for Santa Clara in sports like soccer and volleyball.

A cryptic email from the bigwigs of the Mountain West came out of the blue Tuesday evening and seemed a bit puzzling.

The email expressed confidence in the leadership of the NCAA and, in particular, its president Dr. Mark Emmert.

Why the need for the letter? Why now?

I didn’t know. I asked Air Force athletic director Hans Mueh. He didn’t know either.

It finally came to light that the statement – signed by Anthony Frank, the president of Colorado State and the chair of the Mountain West Board of Directors as well as the Mountain West’s Colorado Springs-based commissioner Craig Thompson – was in response to a leaked email from FresnoState president John Welty to the league’s presidents.

According to Chicago Tribune, an email from Welty, who is retiring this year, said:

“Is it time for the presidents to seek new NCAA leadership or a new organization? The NCAA has evidenced decisions that focus on trivial and penalize our athletes. The salaries for the NCAA leadership are excessive and an embarrassment to the Mountain West schools. Their decision making is cumbersome and oblique.”

Emmert has been central in recent discussions of the NCAA’s handling - or perhaps mishandling - of the Miami investigation as well as the harsh penalties imposed on PennState following the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

What all this means, who knows? Sounds like some high level gossip simply found itself in the public domain.

Anyway, at least we’re not scratching our heads as to what that initial release from the league was all about.

Here’s the full text of the Mountain West statement:

This is a challenging era for governance within intercollegiate athletics and Dr. Mark Emmert’s leadership during these times is greatly appreciated.  He has initiated much needed reforms in the areas of academic enhancement, student-athlete well-being and athletic certification.  As a conference, the Mountain West is committed to working within established governance channels.  If we ever arrive at a situation where we have concerns with the NCAA, we will express them via appropriate channels within the formal NCAA governance structure.  No such concern has been expressed by our conference.