The 2011 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) kicks off round two today with the Santa Clara Broncos hosting the Air Force Falcons. The game is scheduled for 7:00pm PT/10:00pm ET and can be viewed online at b2livetv.com. We’re not sure if this is a free viewing service so check back closer to game time.
Santa Clara has home court advantage for this game and is currently sitting as a five point favorite over Air Force. The Broncos finished the season 20-14 while the Falcons finished 16-15. The Mountain West is a tougher conference but Santa Clara did manage a solid win over Gonzaga earlier this season.
Ken Pomeroy rates Santa Clara as the 127th best offense and 173rd best defense. He rates Air Force as 97th in the country on offense and 161st on defense. A look at all the ratings would actually seem to give Air Force an edge. The Falcons are much more efficient in shooting the ball, but struggles quite a bit in rebounding. The Broncos are fairly solid in rebounding and will look to take advantage of this weakness in Air Force’s game.
The major difference between these teams, and really most teams who play Air Force is the tempo. Air Force runs one of the slowest tempos in the country, finished 328nd out of 345 teams. They run something akin to the Pete Carril slowdown offense. If they have a lead that can be deadly. If they are trailing it is hard for them to come back.
If I had to make a prediction I would go with the Santa Clara Broncos to win but Air Force to cover. I think it’ll be a low scoring affair and I would actually bet the under (130). Neither team is particularly solid and Air Force can play teams to some ungodly looking games.