KANSAS CITY, Mo.—The Big 12 went two months and lost only one home game, then went one week and lost five.
So what’s the difference? Simple. The conference season began. Old rivalries are stirring passions, players are familiar with the arenas and—most importantly—the competition got better. In some cases, much, much better.
All of a sudden, the home court advantage in the Big 12 is only that—an advantage. It’s no longer the near-automatic win it was in the fall.
“We’ve got a lot of really good teams,” said Texas A&M coach Mark Turgeon, whose Aggies came within a whisker of handing No. 1 Texas a home loss on Saturday. “I just think we’ve got one heck of a league.”
At one point, Big 12 home teams were an astounding 114-1. But after the first full week of conference play, the league’s home record stands at 118-6, still the best of any league in the country.
Gone, at least until next fall, are the pushovers like Nicholls State, Missouri-Kansas City and Radford that filled out nonconference home slates in the Big 12.
“Our league played a good schedule, but it probably didn’t play as many great home schedules,” said Kansas coach Bill Self. “Most of our best games I would say were neutral site games where you go play in tournaments. I don’t think we need to apologize for having a great home record. But I’ve never heard of that 114-1. It doesn’t matter who you play.
“How do you go 114-1?”
Simple. You schedule teams that are happy to take a road whipping in exchange for a big payday. When Central Arkansas and Radford played Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse this year, they got clobbered. Central Arkansas took a 50-point trouncing and Radford lost 99-64. But they also took home checks for around $65,000-$70,000.
“I do believe that over time, the home teams will win the vast majority of their games,” said Self, whose Jayhawks are riding a nation-best 52-game home court streak. “But there are some teams that are good enough to win any night. Plus, teams are not as intimidated in conference play going on the road as they are in nonconference. We’ve all been there, seen that, done that. I don’t think the home court means quite as much in conference play as it does in nonconference.”
In conference play, says Missouri coach Mike Anderson, it’s “family.”
“When you get into conference and the family, teams are a lot more familiar with one another,” he said. “And not only that, the nonconference season is early on. Now teams are more seasoned, more prepared. When you get in the family, there’s so much familiarity, and you’ve got some great teams in our league.”
Still, the question remains that many would say has never been fully answered. Why is it so hard to win on the road, in any sport? Basketball teams in particular seem always to have a home court edge.
Baylor coach Scott Drew says it’s the nearness of the crowd.
“We’re all human, we feel the passion, energy and drive. That energy transfers to players. Everybody just seems to be a little better at home. It’s amazing how successful everybody is at home.”
Screen writer-anthropologist Robert Ardrey in his groundbreaking book “The Territorial Imperative” noted that even insects seem more confident and aggressive in their home territory.
In one experiment, he watched aggressive army ants scramble without hesitation over a big stick in their path. Then he drove them several miles away and placed the same stick in their way. Away from home, they came to the obstacle and stopped and milled around. They appeared confused and uncertain.
Finally, a couple of leaders climbed over and the others followed.
“There’s something about the psyche,” said Anderson. “Everything is familiar with them. And the fans, of course. For us in particular, I feel like when our guys play at home they’re going to score 10 more points because our fans are going to take that adrenaline to another level.”
