Stating the obvious: it's hard to win games on the road in the ACC.
This was the first year of the expanded 18-game conference schedule and home teams enjoyed the second biggest home court advantage since the ACC expanded to 12 teams. Home teams finished the year 74-34, a .685 winning percentage topped only by 2010's 66-30 (.688) record.
1. 2010 -- 66-30 (.688)
2. 2013 -- 74-34 (.685)
3. 2011 -- 66-33 (.667)
4. 2007 -- 63-33 (.656)
5. 2009 -- 61-35 (.635)
6. 2006 -- 60-36 (.625)
7. 2008 -- 58-38 (.604)
8. 2012 -- 58-38 (.604)
Two programs -- Duke and Virginia -- finished the year unbeaten on their home floor. Two more -- Miami and N.C. State -- finished 8-1. Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech managed a conference low three wins in 2012-13. On the other end of the spectrum, Wake Forest finished the year winless in ACC road games, while Clemson and Virginia Tech managed just one win on the road. The ACC regular season champs finished the year 7-2 on the road, two games better than the second best programs in the conference (Duke and Carolina at 5-4).
ACC Home W | ACC Home L | ACC Road W | ACC Road L | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Virginia Cavaliers | 9 | 0 | 2 | 7 |
Duke Blue Devils | 9 | 0 | 5 | 4 |
Miami Hurricanes | 8 | 1 | 7 | 2 |
N.C. State Wolfpack | 8 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
North Carolina Tar Heels | 7 | 2 | 5 | 4 |
Florida St. Seminoles | 6 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
Maryland Terrapins | 6 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
Wake Forest Demon Deacons | 6 | 3 | 0 | 9 |
Boston College Eagles | 5 | 4 | 2 | 7 |
Clemson Tigers | 4 | 5 | 1 | 8 |
Virginia Tech Hokies | 3 | 6 | 1 | 8 |
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | 3 | 6 | 3 | 6 |
Totals | 74 | 34 | 34 | 74 |
A couple thoughts:
-- If I'm a betting man, I would put money on programs that were good on the road (Miami, Duke, North Carolina) to make a run in this week's ACC Tournament. Conversely, I wouldn't expect much out of Wake Forest, Clemson and Virginia Tech this week (though N.C. State, Maryland and Virginia, respectively, didn't fare much better on the road this year).
-- Greensboro can also present a significant home court advantage for the Tobacco Road schools. All three -- Duke (9-0), N.C. State (8-1) and North Carolina (7-2) were very good at home this season.
-- I would expect the home court advantage to become even more pronounced next season as programs get used to playing in three relatively unfamiliar venues -- Notre Dame's Joyce Center, Pittsburgh's Petersen Events Center and Syracuse's Carrier Dome.