This text may be freely shared among individuals, but it may not be republished in any medium without express written consent from the author and advance notification of the editor. Abstract Scores of 1997 Big Ten Conference men's basketball games involving the University of Iowa Hawkeyes are analyzed with a series of scatterplots accompanied by formal bivariate statistical inference. The analyses reveal that the Hawkeyes' defensive performance is largely unaffected by the site of the game, while offensive performance dips significantly in games played on opposing teams' courts.
Most students are familiar with the concept of home court advantage in college basketball.
From small junior colleges to large universities, basketball teams tend to boast a greater winning percentage in games played on their home floor than in games hosted by the opposition. Since basketball can be considered in two basic phases, offense and defense, it is natural to ask how sensitive these phases are to game location. Such information may prove useful to players and coaches as they prepare for the upcoming season. We attempt to answer this question for one team based on their performance during one season of conference play. The analyses presented can be conducted on any team's scores as long as they play several teams in a home and away format.