The Falcons didn't disappoint the preseason hype around them as they were projected to finish last this year and did just that with a 10-21 record and a poor 1-15 conference record. Jeff Reynolds is now 36-56 in three seasons with the Falcons. Let's take a look through the good and the bad of Falcon basketball this season. Catch it after the jump...
The Good
- One positive was a win in the conference tournament against Wyoming in the 8-9 play in game. It was their second win on the season against a struggling Wyoming Cowboy team.
- Junior Evan Washington was solid all season with 10.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3 assists per game.
- The Falcons tied their record of last year, but had at least one conference win in the regular season so I will call that a good thing. Their non-conference record of 8-5 at least shows they are not completely at the bottom of the barrel.
The Bad
- Grant Parker might have been a missing piece as he missed ten games in the season due to injury, he was the leading scorer at 12.7 points per game.
- In conference play the Falcons were beaten by more then two possessions in all but two games, vs. UNM and vs. CSU. Their largest losing margin was 43 points to BYU on the road.
- The only conference team they beat was a Wyoming program that was/is falling apart under Heath Schroyer and injuries.
- The Falcons were -15.5 in scoring margin on the year and only managed 50 points a game, 14 points behind the next closest team. This is partly due to offensive scheme.
- In every meaningful stat I could find the Falcons were dead last or a very close second to every team in the MWC, except fouls per game where they were 4th out of 9. Ya it was a tough year.
All in all it was a tough yet predictable year for the Falcons. It was nice to see them compete in the tournament with a win over the Cowboys and a watchable game against New Mexico. The team has a solid plan on offense and never fails to compete. However those two are not enough to keep the Falcons in games as talent trumps their team almost every time. Coach Jeff Reynolds will need to get better in recruiting as once again the Falcons just show a lack of depth to compete against the other teams in the MWC.