The IU basketball team is 12-3 at Assembly Hall this season, and 0-11 away from it. What happens when the team leaves Bloomington that makes it so tough for the Hoosiers to win?
Here's a look at the home and road statistics from Big Ten games, since many lesser non-conference opponents padded IU statistics (especially at Assembly Hall).
Basic statistics
In Big Ten play, IU is 3-3 at home and 0-7 on the road. Ironically, some of IU's stats actually improve on the road.
| At Assembly Hall | On the road | Difference | |
| Record | 3-3 | 0-7 | |
| PPG | 63.7 | 69.4 | +5.7 |
| RPG | 29.3 | 33.6 | +4.3 |
| APG | 9.7 | 12.1 | +2.4 |
| SPG | 5.0 | 5.7 | +0.7 |
| BPG | 1.3 | 3.0 | +1.7 |
| TPG | 12.2 | 11.6 | -0.6 |
| FG% | 46.4 | 43.5 | -2.9 |
| FT% | 78.1 | 78.2 | +0.1 |
| 3-Pt.% | 35.9 | 32.7 | -3.2 |
Note the team averages more points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks, while committing fewer turnovers in road games.
However, IU also allows its opponents to play much better on their own court.
| At Assembly Hall | On the road | Difference | |
| IU's record | 3-3 | 0-7 | |
| Points Allowed by IU | 64.2 | 77.7 | -13.5 |
| Rebounds Allowed by IU | 30.7 | 34.6 | -3.9 |
| Assists allowed by IU | 10.8 | 15.1 | -4.3 |
| Steals allowed by IU | 5.5 | 6.3 | -0.8 |
| IU opponent field goal pct. | 44.6% | 47.7% | -3.1% |
| IU opponent 3-point pct. | 37.5 | 39.8 | -2.3 |
Four Factors
There are four key statistical categories that determine the success of a basketball team, according to statistician Dean Oliver. These "Four Factors"- which have become a very popular measuring stick - consist of shooting efficiency, avoiding turnovers, grabbing offensive rebounds, and getting to the foul line.
For a full description, go here.
These are measured by the following:
- Effective field goal percentage (field goal percentage with a 50 percent added weight to 3-point shots),
- Turnover percentage (Percent of possessions in which a team turns the ball over)
- Offensive rebounding percentage (Percent of rebounds grabbed by the offense)
- Free throw rate (Number of free throw attempts divided by field goal attempts)
Here's IU's stats in the "Four Factors" category.
| At Assembly Hall | On the road | Difference | |
| eFG% | 52.9 | 48.2 | -4.7 |
| TO% | 20.4 | 17.4 | -3.0 |
| OR% | 30.0 | 32.3 | +2.3 |
| FTRate | 28.8 | 28.9 | +0.1 |
A look at these statistics reveals that offensively, IU does better on the road than at home. On the road, it has a lower turnover rate, higher offensive rebounding percentage, and higher free throw rate. It's effective field goal percentage is slightly higher at home.
But defensively, the Hoosiers struggle on the road. Here's the "Four Factors" stats for IU opponents in the Big Ten.
| At Assembly Hall | On the road | Difference | |
| FOUR FACTORS | |||
| Opponent eFG Pct. | 52.2% | 53.75% | +1.5% |
| Opponent TO Pct. | 20.2% | 16.3% | -3.9% |
| Opponent Off. Reb. Pct. | 31.5 | 30.2 | -1.3% |
| FTRate | 52.4% | 62.0% | +9.6% |
Note that IU's opponents shoot better, have a lower turnover rate, and get to the free throw line more efficiently when playing at home.
Especially on free throws, there is a disparity between IU and its opponents. In Big Ten play, five times IU opponents have shot 37 or more free throws in a game (four of those were IU road games). But the Hoosiers have never shot more than 25 free throws in a Big Ten game this year.
