There has been a lot of uproar about Villanova playing its NCAA Tournament games in Philadelphia, allowable because they only played three games during the season at the Wachovia Center.
While it is unfair -- especially because of the perception -- I downplayed the real impact of the home-court in the tournament, and felt vindicated when the crowd was solidly behind American as they jumped out to a huge lead on Villanova, before blowing the lead and losing.
Action on the women's side though may prove the importance of this advantage.
There were two major second round upsets, #7 Rutgers over #2 Auburn and #9 Michigan State over #1 Duke. Both underdogs were playing at home, and after the game Michigan State's Coach (not Tom Izzo) said the home fans made a huge difference.
We should also point out that San Diego State got smoked by Stanford in San Diego and Gonzaga lost to Pittsburgh in Seattle, though both results were expected.
Who knows how much it really matters.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
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