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Why are basketball road games SO much harder to win than other sports?
Posted on 2/6/14 at 2:16 pm
Posted on 2/6/14 at 2:16 pm
The Boat and I were talking about this the other day. It seems in order of most difficult to easiest, it's like this:
1.) Basketball
2.) Football
3.) Baseball
What is it about basketball that makes it so hard for visiting teams?
1.) Basketball
2.) Football
3.) Baseball
What is it about basketball that makes it so hard for visiting teams?
16
Posted on 2/6/14 at 2:18 pm to Sev09
shooting at a foreign basket is a little more difficult than completing a pass or hitting a ball 
Posted on 2/6/14 at 2:18 pm to Sev09
Basketball provides the loudest hostile environment? I don't know really.
Posted on 2/6/14 at 2:20 pm to Sev09
I believe there are more subjective calls in basketball than the other two sports that can lead the home team being at an advantage.
Posted on 2/6/14 at 2:22 pm to GoCrazyAuburn
Different type of wood can mess you up while dribbling, passing, etc. Different arenas can make a basket look closer or further than it really is. The crowd makes a bigger impact. Refs can tend to favor the home team.
Posted on 2/6/14 at 2:22 pm to Sev09
1. Increased foul calls
2. The conference blows
2. The conference blows
Posted on 2/6/14 at 2:23 pm to Sev09
It's the most subjectively officiated sport. Home crowd influences that subjectivity.
Posted on 2/6/14 at 2:23 pm to Sev09
It most likely is due to more than a single silver bullet reason, but familiarity with the court and the way the mind judges distance based on the surroundings (ceiling height, lighting, dimensions beyond the court, etc.) likely has a lot to do with it.
Posted on 2/6/14 at 2:24 pm to pvilleguru
quote:
Different type of wood can mess you up while dribbling, passing, etc. Different arenas can make a basket look closer or further than it really is. The crowd makes a bigger impact. Refs can tend to favor the home team.
This, but in the SEC it trends more towards officiating as the problems listed are the same for all conferences, but you do not see good teams struggling or being blown out by bad teams on the road in the B1G and ACC as much as you do in the SEC.
Posted on 2/6/14 at 2:26 pm to DaleDenton
quote:Not arguing against you, but I played small college basketball and the recipe for winning our conference was protecting home court and winning half of your road games. It seems to be pretty broadly applicable across college basketball.
This, but in the SEC it trends more towards officiating as the problems listed are the same for all conferences, but you do not see good teams struggling or being blown out by bad teams on the road in the B1G and ACC as much as you do in the SEC.
Malcolm Gladwell (or someone less famous but smarter) needs to study this and write a book.
This post was edited on 2/6/14 at 2:28 pm
Posted on 2/6/14 at 2:27 pm to DaleDenton
Traveling affects it as well. Traveling so much has an effect on younger players not used to it.
Posted on 2/6/14 at 2:30 pm to Sev09
Officiating plays a much larger role in basketball than other sports, and officials tend to be biased towards the home crowd, therefore, officials provide the home team a notable advantage.
Posted on 2/6/14 at 2:30 pm to GenesChin
Good old home cookin.
Posted on 2/6/14 at 2:30 pm to DaleDenton
It's been covered pretty well in this thread. A lot of different things play into it.
I think it's easiest to win on the road in football. Different baseball stadiums can cause problems because the dimensions are all different and the batters eye's in center field are all different.
For example if you have a short porch in right field and a deep left center you're going to recruit some pull hitting lefties with power over the same guy from the right side.
Baseball more than any sport is one where a field can drastically alter the perceived skill of a team imo.
I think it's easiest to win on the road in football. Different baseball stadiums can cause problems because the dimensions are all different and the batters eye's in center field are all different.
For example if you have a short porch in right field and a deep left center you're going to recruit some pull hitting lefties with power over the same guy from the right side.
Baseball more than any sport is one where a field can drastically alter the perceived skill of a team imo.
Posted on 2/6/14 at 2:32 pm to WDE24
quote:
Not arguing against you, but I played small college basketball and the recipe for winning our conference was protecting home court and winning half of your road games. It seems to be pretty broadly applicable across college basketball.
Every coach says this, because it is true, Nolan was saying it back in the 80s when he came here.
The point is the SEC only had one team with a wining road record last year, might only have one again this year. But these teams are all "unbeatable" at home, you can watch the games and see the home team in the SEC get more leeway on the calls while the other team doesn't, the game is called differently on each end of the court if you will. It will normally show in the box score as the home team will have an advantage at the FT line.
The average for road wins in the SEC is 30% of the games played, FWIW. That means on average a team will win 2-3 games on the road in conference play each year.
Posted on 2/6/14 at 2:33 pm to oauron
quote:
I believe there are more subjective calls in basketball than the other two sports that can lead the home team being at an advantage.
This.
Also why I don't really care for basketball as much - the 'rules' are too subjective.
Posted on 2/6/14 at 2:33 pm to Sev09
Refs
Refs
and
Refs
Refs
and
Refs
Posted on 2/6/14 at 2:37 pm to DaleDenton
quote:It would be interesting if someone collected the data and did a report for cbb and broke it down by conference as well.
It will normally show in the box score as the home team will have an advantage at the FT line.
Surely the NCAA looks at this stuff.
Posted on 2/6/14 at 2:37 pm to Sev09
I think it is because of the intimacy of the setting. The fans are REALLY close to the players, the arena is much smaller than an indoor stadium which gives it that claustrophobic feel, and the fans can SEE the players and the players can SEE the fans--they can see the expressions on their faces and observe their emotions and that works both ways...and they can single out a visiting player for ridicule much more easily than they can in a football stadium ("Airball!, Airball")
In short, you don't have the kind of DISTANCE between fans and players that you do in football or baseball--by which I mean both physical distance and emotional distance
So the hostility of an opposing crowd is MUCH more palpable and immediate in a basketball arena than it is in a football staidum or baseball stadium...and therefore much more intimidating
In short, you don't have the kind of DISTANCE between fans and players that you do in football or baseball--by which I mean both physical distance and emotional distance
So the hostility of an opposing crowd is MUCH more palpable and immediate in a basketball arena than it is in a football staidum or baseball stadium...and therefore much more intimidating
Posted on 2/6/14 at 2:39 pm to Riseupfromtherubble
The travel aspect is a good point as well, in football the teams will leave the day before the game, time depends on the start time, but they get an opportunity to relax and "recover" from the trip.
In basketball its common for teams to leave campus the same day as the game, arrive a few hours before, have a short practice/shoot around and play the game.
In basketball its common for teams to leave campus the same day as the game, arrive a few hours before, have a short practice/shoot around and play the game.
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