'GRIND OF THE SEASON' GETS TOUGHER WHEN AFA FACES TCU

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Feb 2, 2008 | by JAKE SCHALLER

Air Force senior guard Tim Anderson has a bruised hip and a jammed thumb on his shooting hand, and he suffered a cramp late in Wednesday's loss to BYU.

But the Falcons' leading scorer, who is logging a team-high 37 minutes per game in Mountain West Conference play, won't make an issue of nagging injuries or fatigue.

"It's the grind of the season," he said. "So you've just got to push through the bumps and bruises."

The Falcons' season will be particularly grinding during the next 11 days. Air Force plays four games in that span, including three on the road starting today with a 4:30 game at TCU. Both teams are 11- 8 and 3-3 in the Mountain West, so the winner will have a more realistic shot at staying in the conference race.

The last time Air Force ventured to Daniel-Meyer Coliseum, on Feb. 24, 2007, it was nationally ranked but reeling. The 14th- ranked Falcons fell to a TCU squad that had lost its previous 11 games.

It was Air Force's second straight loss and the first of three in a row to end the regular season. Of all the games in last season's late collapse, the loss to the Horned Frogs probably did the most damage to the Falcons' foiled NCAA Tournament hopes.

This year, both Air Force and TCU are much different. The Falcons are inexperienced and searching for consistency, while the Horned Frogs are arguably the league's most-improved team.

"Very experienced basketball team," Air Force coach Jeff Reynolds said. "As athletic a team as there is in the league."

TCU is strong inside with a pair of 6-foot-8 junior forwards: Kevin Langford, who leads the team in scoring (14.5 points per game), and John Ortiz, who leads the team in rebounding (5.4).

Reynolds called Langford "as good a post player as there is in the league because of his ability to do an assortment of things."

Junior guard Henry Salter, who averages 14.1 points and leads the league in 3-point shooting, is questionable for tonight's game with an ankle injury.

Like Anderson said, it's the grind of the season. Which team will push through it?

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