Not long after losing 71-64 at Duke, Maryland coach Gary Williams shook his head at the thought of playing in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
“It’s a much tougher game, to go into somebody’s gym and, even though you’re better than them, win all the time in college basketball,” Williams told the Washington Post. “What’s a good home court worth?”
Great question, Gary. If you got time, perhaps you should grab “Scorecasting,” a new book by Tobias J. Moskowitz and L. Jon Wertheim. (Check out the excerpt in SI here.)
It tries to explain the various factors that play into home-court edge, particularly at places like Cameron. A good team is made better by a good home court, right?
Williams knows that as well as anyone. (He thinks Cameron is worth eight points.) He credits the Comcast Center with boasting his team when it mattered during last season’s 79-72 victory.
“That’s what home courts do,” Williams said. “Last year when Duke came to Comcast, that night, we were good enough to beat them because we had home court and we were a pretty good team. That’s why it’s tough to have an undefeated team.”
Want more? I’m also on Twitter @MikeMillerNBC.