Where is our home-court advantage?

[BradleyBrave]

Sorry you can't understand that the biggest part of a "home court advantage" is the comfort your players feel playing there.
The majority of MVC teams have their own arenas.
These schools have their own arenas, and practice regularly on their "home court"-
Illinois State
Indiana State
Northern Iowa
Drake
Missouri State
Wichita State
Southern Illinois

These are the schools with Civic or private arenas-
Bradley
Evansville
Creighton

I have no idea how often Creighton or Evansville practice on their arena floors, or how much they are charged for it. But I know it affects a school like Bradley, who practice infrequently at the Civic Center. It's foolish to think this is not a significant factor.

So why have previous regimes been able to win more at Carver than this one?

[BradleyBrave]

The last time I watched a basketball game, it was clear both teams are trying to win. Bradley was trying to win. They lost to a team who played better last night. Criticism only has merit if you understand what goes on nightly in college basketball. Negativism based on the game last night is disgusting!

So 4 home losses in 10 games is OK to you?

[lefty]

So why have previous regimes been able to win more at Carver than this one?

exactly

[chitown fanatic]

So 4 home losses in 10 games is OK to you?

Yeah, BB, quit showing all your negativism, you negativist, you! Negativites everywhere on this board.

[Da Coach]

So why have previous regimes been able to win more at Carver than this one?

My guess- The MVC of the last 7 or 8 years is not the weaker MVC of the 1990's.
You can't compare equally with those teams.
Also, as you know, Bradley's lack of state-of-the-art facilities has made it much harder to compete in this era when every other team has improved.

[BradleyBrave]

My guess- The MVC of the last 7 or 8 years is not the weaker MVC of the 1990's.
You can't compare equally with those teams.
Also, as you know, Bradley's lack of state-of-the-art facilities has made it much harder to compete in this era when every other team has improved.

Why can't we compare them? It's very, very debatable that the MVC is any better than it was back then. Yes, it was in 2006, and was reflected in 4 NCAA teams and 1 NIT team. Since then, not so much. The last two years, the MVC has only sent 1 team to the NCAA Tournament and won 0 games, and it's hard to argue that we deserved more than that. In most of the last 7-8 years of the Molinari era, the MVC sent at least 2 teams to the NCAA's, won NCAA games, and made Sweet 16's. Right now I see 8 of 10 teams in the MVC that are .500 or below in league play, and yet we've lost twice at home in this league. How is the MVC so much better?

Regarding facilities - I thought the guys we've recruited as of late cited new facilities as a reason they came here. We also got an NBA all-star and an NBA Lottery Pick to come here with no facilities, so does that excuse really hold any water? So are the players just not good enough? Every other coach for the last 30 years has, at the very least, been able to win at home. Now you're talking as if that's asking too much. I would think you would demand better considering all of the time, effort, and personal resources you very generously donate to the university and basketball program.

[Carver Arena Guy]

My guess- The MVC of the last 7 or 8 years is not the weaker MVC of the 1990's.
You can't compare equally with those teams.
Also, as you know, Bradley's lack of state-of-the-art facilities has made it much harder to compete in this era when every other team has improved.

This argument doesn't make much sense. Wouldn't the league have been weaker for every team and not just Bradley? Vice versa, didn't the league get tougher for every team and not just Bradley?

Sure you can compare equally with those teams. It's the exact same league. If the league gets better and you don't that's on you. Is it not?

The facilities argument has been there for a long time. It's tired and irrelevant. It has nothing to do with winning or losing at home.

[JMM28]

Sorry you can't understand that the biggest part of a "home court advantage" is the comfort your players feel playing there.
The majority of MVC teams have their own arenas.

Flawed logic with this argument. There are 2 teams to every game. If neither team gets to practice on the floor, that is even. Although depending on travel schedules, BU may have the advantage with a morning shoot around type thing.

The other team plays at Carver 1 time per year. So the most experience a senior player on the opposing team would have is 3 games in a career.

Bradley players participate in about 30 games in a year, with probably 60%+ on that floor. Even Jake Eastman has played more games at Carver than any player on any other team in the valley.

No excuse.

[Da Coach]

So then you are saying that not ever being able to practice in the arena that you play in should not have any effect, and that home-court advantage would be exactly the same as a team that always practices in their arena?

Maybe you have never been closely associated with a D1 team. Ask any coach or D1 player if it makes a difference. I guarantee they will say it does.

[SFP]

The last time I watched a basketball game, it was clear both teams are trying to win. Bradley was trying to win. They lost to a team who played better last night. Criticism only has merit if you understand what goes on nightly in college basketball. Negativism based on the game last night is disgusting!

Too many of you guys hang your hat to closely to the team. If these guys gave up it would be one thing but as I saw it they hustled hard and lost to a team that hustled hard and hit a ton of 3s. Let's for once get past the JL coach thing and wait until the end of the season to pick it up. This on both sides is starting to get really old. If we were breaking down plays that woul be one thing.

BTW...The refs blew more then 2 calls. Right off hand I can tell you 5:

• JE charging play in which we were getting a ton of momentum
• WE phantom call from a ref on the other side which took him out for the rest of the 1/2
• SM charging call that would have been one of the worst I have seen if not for the JE charge
• Non-call against TB where he went up for a shot and was hacked multiple times
• SS playing great D being shoved by a shoulder, he then tips the ball and is called out of bounds. Another call not made!

Those who believe the refs cannot effect an outcome have never played the game. The momentum they can kill by swallowing a whistle or calling fouls the wrong way can create monumental swings.

[JMM28]

So then you are saying that not ever being able to practice in the arena that you play in should not have any effect, and that home-court advantage would be exactly the same as a team that always practices in their arena?

Maybe you have never been closely associated with a D1 team. Ask any coach or D1 player if it makes a difference. I guarantee they will say it does.

I attended an institution that had a worse situation than Bradley(SLU). A friend who played(oh man I HAVE been closely associated with a major college program jeez) said that theres a few game curve getting used to the backdrop, but after that it is all the same. 10 foot baskets, 94 foot courts, etc.

So don't go getting all pompous on me.

[Carver Arena Guy]

So then you are saying that not ever being able to practice in the arena that you play in should not have any effect, and that home-court advantage would be exactly the same as a team that always practices in their arena?

Maybe you have never been closely associated with a D1 team. Ask any coach or D1 player if it makes a difference. I guarantee they will say it does.

Da Coach, the problem is the evidence doesn't back up your claim. Bradley has been very dominant at home under the same Carver Arena circumstances and hurdles as they see now.

Teams like Georgetown, Marquette, St. John's, Creighton, etc. have had very dominant seasons and huge home court advantages. All of these teams play in arenas that are not on campus and arenas they don't have full access too.

Some teams are just dominant at home and some aren't. That doesn't have anything to do with how often they practice at their home arena.

[DoubleJayAlum]

Sorry you can't understand that the biggest part of a "home court advantage" is the comfort your players feel playing there.
The majority of MVC teams have their own arenas.
These schools have their own arenas, and practice regularly on their "home court"-
Illinois State
Indiana State
Northern Iowa
Drake
Missouri State
Wichita State
Southern Illinois

These are the schools with Civic or private arenas-
Bradley
Evansville
Creighton

I have no idea how often Creighton or Evansville practice on their arena floors, or how much they are charged for it. But I know it affects a school like Bradley, who practice infrequently at the Civic Center. It's foolish to think this is not a significant factor.

Creighton does not get to practice at the Qwest Center either, FWIW...

[Da Coach]

So apparently only opinions like yours that imply that it's all the coach's fault are acceptable to you?

Believe what you want- but if you want to know the facts, ask someone associated with the team.

And,of course you can find selected examples that appear to prove your point, but I suspect you are smart enough to know that your examples prove nothing.

[Carver Arena Guy]

So apparently only opinions like yours that imply that it's all the coach's fault are acceptable to you?

Believe what you want- but if you want to know the facts, ask someone associated with the team.

And,of course you can find selected examples that appear to prove your point, but I suspect you are smart enough to know that your examples prove nothing.

Da Coach, who said it was the coaches fault? I never said that.

For some reason Bradley doesn't win at home as well as many teams across America do, or, as well as Bradley has at times in the past. The reason for winning/losing at home has absolutely NOTHING to do with how often they get to practice at Carver Arena. Absolutely none.

If not being able to practice there is a big deal how did BU run off two 20+ game home court winning streaks in the mid 90's? How does Creighton win so much at home? Why does Georgetown win so much at home?

There are certainly reasons teams do/don't win at home. But not being able to practice there isn't one of them.

If people involved with this current Bradley team are telling you the reason they aren't winning at home enough is because they don't get to practice there on a regular basis are selling you a bigtime line of junk. That's an excuse that holds zero weight.