Busting Brackets
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Mountain West Basketball: Way-too-early power rankings for 2022-23 season

By Joey Loose

Feb 28, 2022; Laramie, Wyoming, USA; San Diego State Aztecs forward Chad Baker-Mazara (20) celebrates a win against the Wyoming Cowboys at Arena-Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 28, 2022; Laramie, Wyoming, USA; San Diego State Aztecs forward Chad Baker-Mazara (20) celebrates a win against the Wyoming Cowboys at Arena-Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mountain West Basketball Air Force Falcons Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Mountain West Basketball Air Force Falcons Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /

10. Air Force

Much like for San Jose State, recent history has been unkind to Air Force. The Falcons are entering year three of Joe Scott’s second stint with the program, though this one is certainly off to a much rougher start than his first stint earlier in the century. Last year’s team really struggled on offense, winning just 11 games on the year.

The good news for the Falcons is that two guards who had solid freshman campaigns will both be back, with Jake Heidbreder (10.4 ppg) and Ethan Taylor (8.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg) both expected to contribute even more this season. Forwards Nikc Jackson and Lucas Moerman are both back and will both be in the starting lineup, though this team may struggle to replace former star A. J. Walker’s contributions.

It’s hard to recruit at Air Force, but it’s hard to see how a team that didn’t add anyone of note gets much better this year. Sure, Heidbreder and Taylor could take steps forward, helping to offset for the loss of two former starters, but will that really make the offense better? This Princeton offense didn’t lead to a lot of wins last season for the Falcons, but perhaps things could be different?