College Basketball Home Court Advantage

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What is the advantage of home court in college basketball?  Ask that question to five different people and you will get five different answers.  Almost all of them are likely to give you a number between 3 and 6 points.

The truth of the matter is that there is no simple answer to your question.  The national average is around 3.5 points, but that doesn’t tell the whole story and if you want to know how to bet on college basketball and win then you’ll have to go into more detail.

Think about it this way:  Do you think Duke has the same home-floor advantage as North Dakota State?  Would it surprise you if I told you North Dakota State improves more at home than the Blue Devils?

How would you go about calculating that number?  It’s an important question for online sportsbooks.  Even if they can determine who the better team is, they need to know how big the spread should be based off of this advantage.

We’ve compared each team’s home scoring margin (the average points a team loses or wins by) to their scoring margin on the road since 2006.  The average difference between those two numbers gives us what we call True Home Court Advantage.  This is the number of points better a team is at home versus a neutral court.  We’ve decided to only focus on in-conference games.  This allows us to compare similar strength of schedules for home versus away games.

This doesn’t tell us which courts are toughest to play on or which team has the best atmosphere.  It just tells us which teams play much better or worse at home compared to on the road.  Some teams are terrible on the road, making playing in their friendly atmosphere that much more valuable to them.  Others are excellent teams who are good both on the road and at home, making the home floor less valuable to them.

You can use this information to help decide who to back on the road and who to take at home.  Our hope is that you use it in your NCAA basketball betting strategy this season.

How Many Points is Home Court Worth in College Basketball: Best Teams

TeamHomeMarginRoadMarginTrue Advantage
Denver57-179.1819-52-4.877.03
Arkansas45-235.2914-54-7.976.63
Oklahoma St53-176.4316-56-6.616.52
Missouri58-159.3724-46-3.576.47
Wake Forest40-260.3310-61-11.946.14
Nebraska38-320.6914-55-10.805.75
Kansas St54-178.8633-36-2.585.72
Toledo44-232.4919-50-8.935.71
New Mexico St70-911.1833-31-0.225.70
Missouri St51-255.8923-52-5.205.55
South Dakota State49-208.5927-41-2.415.50
Wyoming35-32-0.0611-54-11.025.48
Texas57-168.6630-40-2.215.44
Houston46-195.1520-53-5.665.41
Xavier63-812.9738-292.275.35
Louisiana Tech42-255.4823-43-5.155.32
Iowa St43-273.0416-55-7.595.32
Illinois St52-215.8221-56-4.745.28
Oklahoma45-254.2921-49-6.275.28
Colorado43-282.1119-55-8.345.23
Colorado St38-302.5117-50-7.875.19
Clemson48-206.4421-48-3.935.19
Kansas72-417.2851-176.935.18
Gonzaga66-219.1848-148.845.17
Iowa41-332.2715-60-8.055.16
Charleston Southern42-273.9417-54-6.345.14
Evansville43-311.4214-62-8.755.09
Notre Dame60-147.2729-45-2.895.08
George Washington40-264.1121-47-5.965.04
Bradley42-312.0418-57-7.995.02
Utah41-282.0416-57-7.995.02
Hawaii35-282.6519-48-7.184.92
Maryland47-225.3324-46-4.464.90
Marshall43-233.8524-48-5.924.89
Indiana St52-243.1724-52-6.544.86
Alabama54-174.7214-54-4.994.86
Memphis73-516.4554-146.764.85
Texas AM44-235.4629-45-4.184.82
Sacramento State28-39-2.0710-60-11.704.82
Minnesota41-313.0718-57-6.494.78
North Dakota State51-1512.2435-342.684.78
Texas El Paso54-167.9629-38-1.584.77
Buffalo47-236.1724-44-3.324.75
Providence37-361.3820-54-8.114.75
Arkansas St52-226.2024-52-3.284.74
Tennessee55-168.5933-36-0.884.74
Ohio52-168.1532-39-1.324.74
Utah St58-1110.2334-340.794.72
Dayton50-186.5323-46-2.904.72
Marquette57-188.0736-38-1.284.68
Nicholls State41-262.8423-47-6.494.67
IUPU Ft Wayne44-243.4323-43-5.864.65
Louisiana Lafayette51-244.7326-50-4.534.63
High Point48-215.5127-43-3.694.60
Portland St48-216.8828-47-2.294.59
Idaho State39-311.8916-54-7.264.58
Purdue54-206.8533-40-2.224.54
Brigham Young62-913.2543-264.194.53
Montana St43-281.7022-50-7.354.53
Eastern Michigan44-263.0421-49-5.994.52
Fresno St37-281.7513-55-7.224.49
Marist40-320.7817-59-8.174.48
Drake43-312.0020-50-6.894.45
Washington55-216.7831-43-2.094.44
Wichita St60-199.9737-351.114.43
Stetson39-35-0.3620-56-9.224.43
West Virginia49-266.5730-43-2.294.43
Mississippi53-184.5821-50-4.284.43
Morehead St59-177.6134-40-1.244.43
Indiana44-302.9321-52-5.904.42
Texas Tech28-39-3.6611-61-12.434.39
Michigan St65-129.8640-361.124.37
Mercer59-217.4034-42-1.324.36
New Mexico54-1310.8740-292.224.33
Georgia40-282.2518-52-6.334.29
Southeastern Louisiana44-233.8122-44-4.744.28
Ohio St68-1010.9642-322.464.25
North Carolina60-1610.6843-242.274.21
Weber St73-711.5442-273.174.19
San Diego St63-910.0335-311.684.18
Saint Louis49-196.5932-34-1.744.17
Louisiana State39-280.9919-53-7.294.14
Howard28-40-2.1613-59-10.424.13
Lafayette34-272.4923-47-5.774.13
Illinois Chicago31-41-0.9912-63-9.244.13
Wright St58-176.8135-39-1.384.10
Butler63-1510.5048-292.324.09
Stanford50-265.0726-50-3.094.08
Old Dominion57-198.8441-330.704.07
Florida Gulf Coast41-282.6524-44-5.494.07
Miami Florida44-274.0923-48-4.024.06
Southern Utah36-35-0.5915-62-8.684.05
Jacksonville55-195.4531-46-2.624.04
UCLA62-159.3543-321.294.03
Northern Arizona43-273.4923-48-4.554.02
VCU70-1012.4446-274.424.01
Arizona St42-322.0322-53-5.994.01
Chattanooga50-262.5924-49-5.383.99
San Jose St21-43-4.1911-57-12.163.99
Creighton66-139.2439-351.313.97
Boston College37-310.5618-51-7.363.96
St Josephs41-264.1629-41-3.763.96
Northern Colorado44-244.5726-47-3.343.96
South Carolina State34-380.4920-50-7.393.94
Eastern Washington42-272.7017-52-5.173.94
Rutgers25-48-4.4511-63-12.313.93
Michigan53-254.3829-43-3.473.93
NC Wilmington30-42-2.5015-59-10.353.93
Tulsa52-187.1635-33-0.683.92
Delaware47-301.5327-47-6.273.90
Charlotte36-301.2018-50-6.593.90
Montana64-149.3741-281.593.89
Northern Iowa52-216.4034-39-1.373.89
Belmont73-715.9954-198.223.89
Virginia Tech38-301.0020-50-6.763.88
Western Michigan56-187.2427-40-0.513.88
Connecticut51-247.3939-40-0.323.86
Winthrop55-177.7235-400.013.86
Washington St37-362.2225-50-5.483.85
Florida St45-233.8533-38-3.853.85
Baylor44-264.5927-46-3.073.83
Georgia St44-313.8327-49-3.793.81
Florida64-1110.6937-313.103.80
Middle Tennessee St59-1810.0145-272.443.79
UC Davis24-33-2.0713-46-9.633.78
Cleveland St52-235.5231-42-2.043.78
NoCarolina AT42-283.4127-46-4.143.78
Tulane31-35-0.7416-54-8.293.78
Appalachian St50-256.0536-41-1.493.77
Portland33-320.7416-43-6.783.76
Kent St56-148.2734-340.763.76
Furman34-38-0.9319-60-8.423.75
American U53-157.8432-290.383.73
Norfolk State56-186.8441-31-0.603.72
Duke62-1111.7441-264.343.70
Penn St32-42-2.0415-61-9.413.69
South Carolina Upstate38-292.9720-46-4.393.68
Massachusetts45-215.2931-39-2.073.68
St Francis PA30-41-1.8215-61-9.173.68
Cincinnati46-302.7430-45-4.603.67
East Tennessee St58-227.9946-330.663.67
Lamar32-331.4323-46-5.903.67
NC Asheville56-217.1338-32-0.193.66
Kennesaw St27-47-4.5910-65-11.893.65
Texas Christian24-40-5.287-65-12.583.65
Tenn Martin28-45-1.7120-53-9.003.65
Mount St Marys54-227.2836-450.003.64
Georgia Southern39-36-0.0122-56-7.283.64
Louisville66-1412.5350-245.263.64
Bowling Green38-290.9619-49-6.283.62
Akron58-1110.2344-253.003.62
Arkansas Little Rock46-263.5336-42-3.693.61
Southern Methodist30-370.5816-51-6.643.61
Central Arkansas21-46-3.889-56-11.093.61
UNLV64-138.2132-351.033.59
Southern Illinois44-291.7023-53-5.473.59
Virginia46-244.5024-42-2.673.59
Boise St43-234.8626-45-2.313.59
Towson33-40-1.0721-53-8.233.58
Richmond46-223.9628-38-3.203.58
Long Beach St56-178.1138-270.973.57
Youngstown St38-35-0.9912-62-8.093.55
Villanova48-256.1435-37-0.903.52
Mississippi Valley State52-254.4228-42-2.603.51
Alabama AM39-351.8921-54-5.123.51
Arizona61-218.0437-361.033.51
Campbell43-311.9924-49-4.993.49
St Johns40-32-0.6421-53-7.593.48
Indiana Purdue41-283.2827-43-3.663.47
Texas Arlington47-234.9730-37-1.963.47
Boston U55-178.9041-271.993.46
Central Florida42-232.3122-47-4.593.45
Western Carolina51-253.2129-51-3.663.44
Kentucky61-119.4938-312.643.43
Georgia Tech32-35-0.0914-55-6.933.42
Lehigh42-245.0828-35-1.753.42
UAB43-255.2536-30-1.563.41
Central Michigan36-300.0316-54-6.763.40
St Bonaventure34-340.4021-46-6.313.36
Lipscomb50-265.3333-45-1.373.35
La Salle30-341.7526-40-4.923.34
Auburn31-36-1.0314-55-7.673.32
Hofstra43-312.6427-47-3.993.32
Texas State33-36-0.0420-48-6.663.31
East Carolina29-39-2.9716-52-9.573.30
Albany42-265.2132-37-1.383.30
Bucknell52-168.1537-261.563.30
Temple51-197.4034-300.833.29
Alcorn St32-41-1.7918-56-8.343.28
Northern Illinois27-40-2.5212-57-9.063.27
Colgate27-35-0.5818-45-7.113.27
Idaho31-35-0.1523-46-6.673.26
Oregon45-312.2831-46-4.233.26
Wagner50-264.3435-41-2.163.25
Troy38-360.7325-49-5.763.25
Holy Cross44-216.0328-33-0.463.25
McNeese St42-282.1425-45-4.343.24
Florida Atlantic41-321.6024-47-4.833.22
Vanderbilt50-224.5331-40-1.863.20
Texas Southern56-237.4937-351.113.19
Siena58-225.7938-38-0.543.17
Niagara45-293.7734-43-2.553.16
UC Santa Barbara49-176.3335-310.023.16
George Mason56-228.2437-342.003.12
UC Irvine43-203.7825-47-2.433.11
Drexel50-265.1736-38-1.033.10
Mississippi St42-280.6622-46-5.543.10
Fordham17-46-8.2910-55-14.463.09
Gardner Webb38-322.2626-47-3.903.08
Air Force27-37-3.2514-54-9.383.07
Presbyterian20-31-2.4511-44-8.583.07
Tennessee St44-281.9426-50-4.173.06
Canisius34-40-0.0521-55-6.133.04
Miami OH44-243.0424-45-3.043.04
Valparaiso53-244.8835-37-1.193.04
Wis Milwaukee49-281.4429-46-4.613.03
Seton Hall35-38-0.1120-55-6.163.03
Elon University42-351.2327-48-4.793.01
Northwestern St43-263.8632-37-2.163.01
Wisconsin62-149.4243-313.413.01
Texas San Antonio31-330.0026-46-6.003.00
James Madison34-39-0.2623-52-6.253.00
Florida International31-38-0.3821-54-6.373.00
North Texas50-284.9133-41-1.072.99
UC Riverside26-38-2.9414-54-8.902.98
Cal Poly SLO39-292.9428-39-3.012.98
Louisiana Monroe26-50-4.1116-55-10.042.97
Davidson69-1215.3862-129.472.96
Rhode Island36-292.5124-43-3.402.96
Oregon St30-44-3.8116-62-9.712.95
Princeton41-166.4224-320.522.95
Southern45-294.2731-41-1.612.94
Austin Peay54-215.6537-36-0.222.94
Georgetown55-216.3637-360.532.92
Navy24-36-2.3015-48-8.112.91
LIU Brooklyn55-245.3438-37-0.452.90
Ball St33-36-0.2818-49-6.072.90
Maryland E Shore22-44-5.2410-62-11.012.89
North Florida30-44-2.7626-52-8.502.87
Stephen F Austin58-1110.9646-225.242.86
Monmouth NJ32-42-1.8416-58-7.542.85
Florida AM42-290.4523-51-5.242.85
Tennessee Tech47-282.7731-46-2.912.84
Pacific45-264.5829-36-1.092.84
Samford40-370.2626-51-5.392.83
San Francisco34-291.5629-35-4.082.82
Jacksonville St32-40-0.5416-56-6.172.82
Southern California41-301.1821-56-4.452.82
South Florida28-45-3.7914-61-9.372.79
Coastal Carolina54-245.8133-340.252.78
Liberty44-263.6630-43-1.842.75
NC State38-310.1322-51-5.372.75
VMI39-312.2633-42-3.232.75
Northwestern27-46-4.1618-57-9.592.72
Pittsburgh53-217.7042-322.302.70
Binghamton27-38-1.6820-50-7.072.70
Nevada46-215.5437-300.212.67
Cornell36-185.5430-270.262.64
Eastern Kentucky52-224.6234-43-0.652.64
Illinois42-292.2725-51-3.002.64
Western Illinois33-37-2.0420-49-7.292.63
Loyola Chicago26-43-1.3819-60-6.612.62
St Peters32-40-1.4224-54-6.602.59
UMKC29-39-3.0717-53-8.242.59
CSU Northridge36-322.0723-41-3.092.58
Pepperdine23-36-5.8814-51-11.022.57
Alabama St55-186.9040-361.792.56
Iona55-276.8935-381.792.55
Oakland59-147.8940-282.842.53
Charleston57-206.3239-361.282.52
Eastern Illinois33-38-1.2520-52-6.292.52
Arkansas Pine Bluff49-223.8034-40-1.232.52
California47-303.3634-38-1.622.49
Loyola Marymount22-39-5.2315-51-10.212.49
Sam Houston St47-237.4644-262.502.48
Northeastern47-263.9535-40-0.992.47
Pennsylvania33-233.2928-27-1.642.47
NC Greensboro38-381.0727-50-3.822.45
William Mary38-360.3628-49-4.512.44
Citadel23-49-3.5622-56-8.402.42
Oral Roberts63-1210.1547-255.332.41
Rice18-48-5.5211-56-10.302.39
Yale38-183.2728-28-1.502.39
Duquesne29-35-0.0922-46-4.812.36
Dartmouth18-38-5.1810-45-9.892.36
Rider49-263.4439-38-1.222.33
Radford35-360.1526-42-4.502.33
Bethune Cookman41-322.0532-41-2.592.32
DePaul16-54-7.5410-67-12.172.32
Manhattan41-341.6728-49-2.952.31
Santa Clara28-330.7524-41-3.852.30
Central Conn St49-243.6735-42-0.912.29
Syracuse57-207.4846-272.922.28
Wofford51-275.1039-360.552.28
Detroit37-372.1627-48-2.352.26
Fairfield51-264.0335-40-0.432.23
South Carolina28-38-3.5815-57-8.042.23
Texas AM CC36-303.1133-34-1.312.21
South Alabama47-292.5434-37-1.792.17
St Marys53-1210.5444-216.232.16
Vermont59-1511.9149-167.692.11
Harvard39-165.8231-251.612.11
Western Kentucky53-216.5147-312.312.10
Stony Brook50-216.5634-312.402.08
Brown27-290.0718-38-4.072.07
New Hampshire30-34-2.0518-50-6.162.06
Grambling State24-47-5.7019-58-9.742.02
Delaware State42-264.4736-350.482.00
Quinnipiac56-245.0343-321.111.96
Army28-29-1.4022-45-5.121.86
Coppin St36-351.6627-43-2.061.86
San Diego30-36-1.4723-40-5.131.83
Jackson State52-244.7437-351.181.78
Hartford36-32-1.7423-43-5.171.72
Loyola Maryland46-322.2134-39-1.141.68
Morgan St54-188.5445-265.201.67
Robert Morris64-188.0955-224.831.63
Prairie View AM41-320.7131-48-2.521.62
Columbia29-27-0.7016-39-3.911.61
SE Missouri St31-42-2.1522-53-5.351.60
Cal St Fullerton35-291.3931-36-1.661.53
Maine26-37-1.5423-45-4.491.48
Hampton45-275.0342-272.101.47
Murray St63-169.4750-226.601.44
Sacred Heart41-362.7733-40-0.051.41
St Francis NY36-360.9230-44-1.851.39
Bryant19-31-4.6016-35-7.021.21
MD Baltimore Cty28-36-5.2520-46-7.501.13
Fairleigh Dickinson22-49-6.3220-53-6.960.32

From looking at the list above we can make some guesses on why some teams have a bigger edge than others.

I think the distance the opponent has to travel is the most important thing.  Think about it.  When you hop on a plane for 2-3 hours you stiffen up.  Now imagine you are a rather large basketball player fitting into those tight seats.  It has to be worse right?

The schools up in the Northeast don’t have that edge.  They are short bus rides away from one another.  That makes for easy travel for the visitors.

There is also the time change.  It just throws off your biological clock.  These kids don’t stay in the new location long enough to adapt.

The other thing I’m noticing is altitude.  Denver has a significant advantage.  Weber State and Utah State both have a nice edge playing in their own arenas.

It doesn’t appear that crowd size has much, if anything, to do with it.  I know that’s not what fans want to hear.  They think all that noise is distracting to opponents and helps influence the outcome in favor of their team.  However, the data leads me to believe otherwise.

I’d also say that “home” can be relative.  When looking at your March Madness upsets, consider how far the teams are playing away from home.  The familiarity of a time zone, a close proximity to the fan base and general comfortableness with the area can all affect a team’s NCAA tournament odds.

So how can you use this to your advantage?  I think you have to use it with the power rankings of each team.  If the ratings are comparable, the home edge is small, and the line is rather large you have yourself a play.  Unless of course there are injuries you need to consider.  Remember the team at BoydsBets is here for you all season long to help you win more of your wagers.

More on Home Field/Court Advantage

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