THE GAME
North Carolina Central University enters Saturday night’s “Battle of the Birds” riding the momentum of a three-game winning streak and a week off due to exams. Adding to the excitement for the program, the Eagles just ridded themselves of a 43-game road losing skid against one of the top teams in the MEAC in South Carolina State, voted in the preseason to finish second in the league. For the first time in the transition to Division I, NCCU sports a winning record at any time during a season at 4-3.

THE SERIES
NCCU and Air Force met for the first time last year on Dec. 2, 2009. The Falcons won the initial meeting 61-49 that included a 37-17 lead heading into the halftime break. This is only school in the Mountain West Conference that the Eagles have ever faced as Air Force leads the series 1-0.

AIR FORCE ACADEMY “FALCONS”
Air Force enters this weekend’s action with a 5-2 record coming off a 76-61 loss to Wright State University at the Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio. The Falcons were 1-for-6 from three-point range and turned the ball over 20 times in their first road loss of the season, which halted a four-game winning streak. Air Force is led by fourth year head coach Jeff Reynolds who is 41-58 during his tenure in Colorado Springs while racking up a 123-92 mark in eight seasons as a head coach. Reynolds has ties back to the “Old North State” as he is a 1978 graduate of UNC Greensboro. Reynolds also spent time as an assistant coach at UNC Greensboro (1995-97), UNC Wilmington (1990-94), and was a head coach at North Carolina Wesleyan from 1985-1986. The Falcons boast three student-athletes scoring in double-figures after seven games. Senior forward Tom Fow leads the way averaging 14.4 points a game along with 4.9 rebounds. Sophomore guard Michael Lyons is just behind Fow at 13.0 points and averages 4.0 rebounds per game, and 6-10 sophomore center Taylor Broekhuis is third on the squad dropping in 12.0 points per game along with 4.3 boards. As of Wednesday, Dec. 8th the Falcons led the Mountain West Conference and were fifth in the nation in field goal percentage defense allowing opponents to shoot 34.8% on the year. In the preseason Air Force was predicted to finish ninth in the Mountain West Conference as the Falcons are coming off a 10-21 record in the 2009-10 campaign where Air Force finished with a 1-15 record in MWC play.

UP NEXT
NCCU will venture to Ann Arbor, Mich. to take on its second and final Big Ten opponent of the season in the University of Michigan on Tuesday (Dec. 14) at 8:00 p.m. (EST) with coverage on the Big Ten Network. Following a seven day layoff, the Eagles will take on Florida Gulf Coast in Fort Myers, Fla. in the last contest before the holiday break. That contest is the fourth and final game of the road swing as NCCU will return on Dec. 29 against Milligan College at 7:00 p.m. for the first of four straight home affairs heading into the new year.