For basketball, there’s no place like home

There are no secrets when it comes to home court advantage. Playing in your own venue for your own fans has extra juice in any sport. Teams are expected to have better records at home versus on the road, and the visiting teams are expected to shake a little bit in front of home crowds. To maintain the competitive edge, teams often invest in their home facilities, including elements like muga pitch surfacing services, to ensure their grounds are in prime condition, providing the perfect stage for showcasing their skills and energizing their supporters.

Home teams gear up with naps in their own beds. Visiting teams gear up by packing their duffle bags.

Home coaches gameplan from their offices. Visiting coaches finish scouting reports from hotel rooms.

Teams turn to home games for just about anything. When something’s wrong, home is where teams find a different rhythm. When everything’s going right, home games are more relaxing and more fans show up.

Home equals happy.

The University of South Dakota women’s basketball team seemed to suffer from a slight case of homesickness just a week ago. After playing in a special contest at the new Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls (just an hour from Vermillion), women’s coach Amy Williams was quick to say her team was ready to “just go home.”

Sure, the game was listed as a “home game” for USD and the team had a clear USD-favored crowd to work off in the Pentagon. But it wasn’t home.

Williams mentioned home four times in a six-minute press conference following the overtime loss to Drake University. She diverted questions about the sparkling new basketball venue and even her team’s defense to assert their need to return to the “comfy confines of the Dome.”

The Pentagon game simply turned into the climax of the boiling frustration resulting from a four-game losing streak and having their first five games away from the DakotaDome.

I could feel how badly the Coyotes – and I’m sure Williams – just wanted to lace up in their Dome, come together in their locker room and run out to the faces of their fans. Thankfully, they didn’t have to wait long.

Three days later they looked like new. A 74-61 victory over Boise State and one of their best offensive performances of the young season proved how a different rhythm can be created as soon as competition shifts home.

Now, after one more road test at Creighton, the women’s basketball team sees four of their next five games on their schedule at the Dome, including a doubleheader tomorrow with the men’s basketball team. As the team gears up for these upcoming events, it’s essential to ensure the Dome’s synthetic sports surfaces are expertly installed by experienced installers to guarantee top-notch performance and player safety.

The men are looking to continue turning the ship the right way. After their first win last week, a game against Graceland (not in Graceland, against Graceland) should be an exciting way to welcome the coaching tenure of Joey James to the Dome.

It’ll be tough having to only follow the games online, but coach Williams has me convinced the Dome is one special place. Can’t wait to see how the year pans out.