Home Sweet Home - Sort Of

We heard it ad nauseum during the early part of the ACC season -- unprecedented homecourt advantage was evident throughout the league.

Well, not really.

Now, as then, it depended on who is playing on their home court. And, if you look closely, the schools at the top are virtually invincible on their home floors while the teams at the bottom of the standings are winning well below a breakeven percentage.

This is nothing new. In fact, it’s a standard result that helps to define who rises to the top of the standings and who falls to the bottom. This season, through games of Feb. 22, the top-five ACC teams have an .895 winning percentage at home. Last season, the top five had an .889 winning percentage. Not much difference.

At the bottom? This year, through Feb. 22, the five laggards in the standings are holding serve 36.8 percent of the time. Last season it was 35.6 percent, even with an historically winless Boston College (0-18) bringing up the rear.

Overall, ACC hosts won 67.5 percent of the time with about two weeks left in the regular season. Last year it was 65.9 percent. Again, not the dramatic difference proclaimed on flimsy information earlier in the season.