After cruising to a win in the first round of the ColligeInsider.com Tournament, the Weber State University men’s basketball team will now take on the U.S. Air Force Academy on Saturday at the Dee Events Center.
The Wildcats are 27-6 on the season and coming off an 85-43 win over California Polytechnic State University on Wednesday night in the first round of the CIT.
The victory tied the WSU and Big Sky record for most wins in a season. A win on Saturday night would give the Wildcats the most wins in a season in Big Sky history. This is WSU’s fifth-straight postseason appearance and its second-straight year in the CIT.
USAFA is 18-13 on the year, and advanced to the second round of the CIT after a narrow 69-65 win in Hawaii on Wednesday night in the first round of the CIT.
The Falcons finished sixth this season in the Mountain West Conference with an 8-8 record. USAFA’s season saw a handful of wins over nationally ranked teams. It beat the University of New Mexico, San Diego State University and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
The Falcons have been led by senior Michael Lyons, who leads the team in scoring at 17.7 points per game and was named to the Mountain West All-Conference first team. Lyons missed Wednesday’s game with an injury, and it is unclear whether he will play Saturday.
The Falcons are coached by Dave Pilipovich, who is in his first season with the team. USAFA is 13th in the nation in 3-point field goals per game and knocked down 15 3-pointers in the win in Hawaii.
This will be just the third meeting ever between the two teams and the first in 37 years. USAFA beat WSU 56-49 in December 1974 in Colorado Springs, Colo. The Wildcats beat the Falcons 82-67 in February 1976 in Ogden.
Should the Wildcats advance, they will move on to the third round of the tournament next week.
