Why is it so hard to win on the road?

[22larry22]

I was wondering why it is so hard to win on the road? Is it the familiarity of the home court for the home team? Does the room team play harder at home because of the crowd? Does the visiting team get intimated by the crowd? If a team can play so well at home why can’t the same team with the same talent not play the same on the road?

 

[BoilerAndy]

I was wondering why it is so hard to win on the road? Is it the familiarity of the home court for the home team? Does the room team play harder at home because of the crowd? Does the visiting team get intimated by the crowd? If a team can play so well at home why can’t the same team with the same talent not play the same on the road?

Probably all of the above. And players take pride in defending their home court. That's additional motivation.

 

[Woodsa]

Teams will make runs but being at home can further feed that with the crowd's energy. Familiarity and home court pride are big factors too. Then, there is the travel aspect of it as well: the trip, time zones, sleeping in foreign environments, etc.

 

[tjreese]

I was wondering why it is so hard to win on the road? Is it the familiarity of the home court for the home team? Does the room team play harder at home because of the crowd? Does the visiting team get intimated by the crowd? If a team can play so well at home why can’t the same team with the same talent not play the same on the road?

Probably all of the above. And players take pride in defending their home court. That's additional motivation.

Teams will make runs but being at home can further feed that with the crowd's energy. Familiarity and home court pride are big factors too. Then, there is the travel aspect of it as well: the trip, time zones, sleeping in foreign environments, etc.

I'll add to this with "shooting environment and rims". That said, it appears that winning on the road is hard and you can't help but think it should help prepare for the NCAA tourney. Course, "if so" and "all conferences experience the same", then it reasons that it could help all teams for the tourney...although the Big has some large crowds and may or may not have longer travel, but different time zones and so you would like the believe that the Big road games should help a bit more.

 

[qazplm]

Shooting is repetition. Repetition really prefers familiarity. Comfort, positive vibes, and in most sports the mental is as much a separator as pure physical talent.

Although there are exceptions. Those few players that do better on the road than at home, but those are rare birds.