On Thursday night,
basketball fans got their last fix of the season with the conclusion of the NBA Draft. The
Cleveland Cavaliers selected Duke’s Kyrie Irving with the first pick. Irving will find Cleveland’s
Quicken Loans Arena to be much different
from his former home at Cameron Indoor Stadium which is considered to be one of the toughest arenas for visiting teams in NCAAB.
Let’s take a look at Cameron and a few other home courts
that are deadly for visiting squads.
Cameron Indoor
Stadium, Duke University, Durham, NC
When many basketball
fans (particularly those in ACC Country) think of home-court advantage, Cameron
Indoor Stadium immediately comes to mind. Some of the brightest minds in the country camp out in
Krzyzewskiville to secure a seat in the
9,314-seat hotbox. The Cameron Crazies make life miserable for opposing teams, especially when
head Duke cheerleader Dick Vitale is in
the house.
As you might expect, the Duke Blue Devils responded with a 17-0 home record in 2010-2011. The Blue Devils were, however, only 8-8 ATS
(a game against Colgate did not have a
line at most books). A NCAA Basketball bettor who took Duke ATS at home in every game last season lost money.
It would
appear that the reputation of Cameron is
inflating point spreads just enough to make wagering on Duke a dicey proposition. ML wagers may be
the best NCAA Basketball betting option with this squad, but be
prepared to take a large loss if they do drop a home contest.
Petersen Events
Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
The Petersen Events
Center is a fairly young facility, having opened in 2002. Since that time, though, the Pittsburgh Panthers have been deadly at home. Urged
on by the Oakland Zoo, the student section named after the University’s neighborhood, Pitt is an amazing
5-0 SU against top-five teams at home at
the Pete. 12,508 fans pack the arena for Big East home games, and the crowd generally goes home
happy.
The Panthers did
suffer a home loss this season to Notre Dame (a school that got consideration for this list after a
17-0 home record), which gave Pitt a
17-1 home record. Like the Blue Devils, the Panthers were mediocre ATS, only posting a 7-6 mark for a
very slight profit. Once again, the
home-court advantage is real, but it is pushing point spreads just a bit too high. The ML advice works for
Pitt as well, particularly if you get
them as a ‘dog against a top-5 team. This is rare, but it happens.
Kohl Center, University
of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
Bo Ryan and the
Wisconsin Badgers own the Kohl Center. Ryan is 152-11 at home in 10 seasons at Wisconsin. Each season,
it appears to the casual observer that a
high-scoring, flashy team will enter the Kohl Center and knock off the Badgers. It is a trap that many
bettors fall into repeatedly.
Wisconsin was 16-0 at
the Kohl Center during the 2010-2011 campaign. Unlike some other teams on this list, though, the Badgers
were very profitable ATS, posting a 9-3 mark. Wisconsin is usually not a public
favorite due to its defensive,
shot-clock draining style of basketball. The Badgers were, though, a favorite of winning bettors.
Allen Fieldhouse,
University of Kansas, Lawrence KS
The Phog is a legendarily
difficult place for opposing teams to play. Since 1955, the Kansas Jayhawks are
666-107 at their home. The numbers are even more scary in recent years: 253-13 over the past 266 games and 129-7 under Bill Self. 16,300 fans pack Allen
Fieldhouse, and they expect to see their
Jayhawks leave the court as victors.
Kansas did drop a
home game to the Texas Longhorns in 2011, ending a 69-game winning streak. The
loss gave the Jayhawks a 17-1 home record in 2010-2011. Despite their home dominance, Kansas was only 9-7 ATS,
giving followers a small profit. Once
again, public respect for the home court may drive spreads a bit too high.
Conclusion
This article will
likely be blasted for leaving certain schools and arenas off the list. There are many (Notre Dame,
Kentucky, North Carolina Tar Heels, New Mexico,
etc.) that were considered, but just did not make the top four. Feel free to debate my choices in the
comments section.
Remember: a dominant
home-court advantage and great record do not always translate to ATS success.
No one discusses George Mason’s home-court mastery. The Patriots were, though, the top home ATS team in the
country at 10-2. Have fun explaining
that one!