Not Home Sweet Home

Missouri Valley Road Warriors

(St. Louis, MO) – In one of the craziest Missouri Valley Conference seasons in recent memory there is no such thing as home sweet home. Once again this weekend, road warriors split the conference’s six games.

Drake, Indiana State and Evansville ruined home game opportunities for Southern Illinois , Illinois Chicago and Belmont. Valley road teams have now won nearly 49-percent (35 of 72) of their league encounters. Eight MVC teams have .500 or better road records.

That Valley teams are rude vistiors isn’t surprising. During the nonconference season, MVC squads won 42 percent (13 of 31) of their road games. However, when playing before their home fans they claimed a remarkable 83 percent of their contests.

Just five Big Twelve teams have .500 or better in their road conference games and six of 18 Atlantic Coast Conference teams can make that claim. For Valley teams playing in front of your own fans doesn’t always mean it is home sweet home.

More Valley teams have losing home records than have .500 or better traveling success rates. The MVC road-win percentage last season was .392 (47-73). Over the past ten seasons, the Valley’s worst home winning percentage was 2020-21’s .556. That was the covid season when teams played back-to-back games at the same site and without fans.

Bradley, Drake and UIC

While Bradley couldn’t pull off a road win at Northern Iowa Sunday, the Braves, first place Drake and UIC are each an incredible 5-1 in Valley road games. The Braves and Flames are better on the road than at home.

Northern Iowa, Belmont, Evasville, Southern Illinois and Indiana State are all 3-3 when visiting other league members. Coaches routinely tell reporters that sometimes a road game helps their players get more focused. Silencing the other team’s home fans is a psychological lift.

Having an ‘us against the world’ mentality, often helps a team bond and play with more intentionality.

Whatever the reason, this Valley season is unique.

Not Home Sweet Home

Valley teams continue to play extremely tight games six of this week’s twelve league contests were settled by five or fewer points, giving the Valley 34 of seventy-two contests being played within six points (two possessions).

Only Evansville has not participated in an overtime conference game. Ironically, in games not played in overtime, when calls seem to go the home team’s way, MVC squads are one game over .500, at 33-32.

This week’s mid-week games send Drake, Northern Iowa, Valparaiso, Illinois State, Southern Illinois and Belmont on the road. Will they have an advantage, or will the other six Valley teams finally experience home sweet home.

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