Contact CU Independent Copy Editor Cannon Casey at cannon.casey@colorado.edu and follow him on Twitter @cannon_casey
After the recent Oregon road trip left Colorado feeling homesick, it’s time to dive into the difference in the way the Buffs are playing at home.
“I think being home obviously helps us, boosts us up when we need it,” said junior guard Josh Fortune. “The crowd gets live when we need some excitement and enthusiasm out there, and we feed off the crowd.”
Home-court advantage has always been considered a given in sports. In fact, it’s even been confirmed to exist. According to a 1977 study titled “The Home Advantage,” by Barry Schwartz and Stephen Barsky, home-court advantage is real.
The two researchers concluded that the edge is most pronounced in hockey and basketball, and it’s mainly attributable to audience support. They also concluded home-court advantage is more effective for offense than defense.
“If you look around college basketball, I think well over 70 percent of the games are won by the home team,” said CU basketball head coach Tad Boyle. “And that’s on a national scale. I think everybody has a home court advantage to a certain degree.”
Right with the findings, in home games, the Buffs are averaging 83 points per game, while they’re averaging 71.25 on the road. On top of that, they have a 12-1 record at home to show for it, compared to a 4-4 record away.
“Big plays when you have the crowd behind you, cheering you on, gives you an extra little boost, little energy,” said senior forward, Josh Scott. “Especially when Coors Events Center is packed, it’s definitely a fun environment and gives you a little extra pick me up.”
In team scoring, Scott and Fortune are number one and number three, respectively. But their numbers are padded in the friendly confines of the CEC. Scott averages 18.2 points per game at home, but his numbers drop to 15.25 on the road. Fortune sees a similar plague on the road, dropping from 11 points per game to just under eight.
Everything from sleeping in an unfamiliar bed, eating unfamiliar food and playing in front of thousands of fans that want to see you fail can all come to mind when thinking about a road game. It can take its toll.
“It doesn’t really play much effect in my head at least, others I don’t know,” Scott said. “Most beds are comfortable, food is food. The only difference really, is it’s a different place.”
Now, Pac-12 road games are tough. Just ask Cal, who is 0-5 in conference play on the road, or No. 17 Arizona, with three of its five losses coming in Pac-12 road games.
“It’s an adjustment, but I personally like road games more than anything,” Fortune said. “I got that instilled in me through high school; my high school coach always told us road games are the tough ones, but when you win ‘em, it’s a big win, a confidence booster for us.”
Colorado beat both No. 11 Oregon and Oregon State at home earlier this year, but came up empty against them on the road over the weekend. Scott and Fortune were non-factors, scoring a grand total of four points on 1-11 shooting combined. The Buffs lost a very winnable game to the Beavers, and got blown out by the Ducks.
“I think we would have won that game at home,” Colorado head coach Tad Boyle said on the loss at OSU. “[There were] a lot of reasons we didn’t win that game, and not playing at home was one of them.”
The Buffs don’t seem to be phased by much of anything on their home court, including who shows up in the stands. Attendance has been an issue throughout the year, with Boyle even asking fans personally to come out.
“It’s a fun team to watch; we got one of the best all-time players in Colorado basketball history in Josh Scott, we play a fun brand of basketball,” Boyle said about fan attendance. “Relative to where we were two or three years ago, we’ve taken a step backwards.”
Despite the crowd turnout, the Buffs have been able to be almost perfect at home, and find themselves right in the heat of the Pac-12 race, just three games out of first place.
“The fans turning out and the attendance and the energy in the building have a lot to do with winning and losing,” Boyle said.
Colorado (17-7, 6-5) will be back at home against Washington State (9-14, 1-10) on Thursday Feb. 11 at 8 p.m (MST). The game will be broadcast on the Pac-12 network.
