MIES (Switzerland) - Is the home court advantage really gone? Our editor Igor Curkovic rightfully asked the question back in November, when five away wins happened the same week.

Conventional wisdom dictates that teams perform better on their home courts. There's a number of reasons for this. It stands to reason that minimal travel, knowing the subtleties of the court, lighting and the rims, as well as playing in front of your home fans would lead to stronger performances.

But what about when that isn't the case? Something funny is happening in the Basketball Champions League. Teams are not necessarily capitalising on the advantages of playing on their home floor. The competition is now in its third season, and in each year, the winning percentage of the home team has been creeping downwards.

We're obviously only so far into the season right now. Maybe it ramps up as the games get more important? Interestingly, the numbers from the two previous seasons were actually quite reflective of the final figures already at this stage of the season (9 game weeks) when you compare them to those above.

Undefeated Teams at Home

As with any trend, there are always outliers. So who have been the strongest teams at home so far? Segafredo Virtus Bologna and UCAM Murcia are both undefeated so far, with the home court advantage seemingly a big strength for both.

Segafredo Virtus Bologna are 4-0 at home, but have lost two close games on the road (by three points to Neptunas Klaipeda, and by one point to Filou Oostende), where playing on their home floor may have been the difference.

UCAM Murcia are 3-0 at home, with their one loss coming on the road by just a single point against MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg.

Teams Struggling at Home

And what about the other side? Who has struggled in front of their home fans so far in the BCL?

The teams topping this table are predictably lower in the standings, but many have equalled or bettered their home win total on the road. Petrol Olimpija's one win came on the road against Filou Oostende, JDA Dijon won against CEZ Nymburk away from home and Montakit Fuenlabrada not only beat JDA Dijon, but also upset Brose Bamberg in their home arena.

Points Scored Home vs Away

It's not just in terms of the number of wins and losses either. The actual performances of some teams in many cases is quite objectively better when playing away from their home court. This is clear in the number of points they have scored in their home vs away games.

Hapoel Jerusalem is the number one example, scoring over ten points fewer on average when playing in front of their home crowd.

While it is not costing them wins necessary (many of the teams above sit in the top half of their groups) - it is interesting to note that even some of the teams with stronger records (including Bologna who are unbeaten at home) seem to be performing better on the road in some aspects.

Points Conceded Home vs Away

Similarly, some teams have been more effective as a defensive unit when playing away from their home court. Avellino for example have conceded on average more than 11 points per game when playing at home.

Interestingly, this metric (with some notable exceptions) seems to be the more accurate predictor of the teams that have struggled in the games played on their home court so far.

The teams highlighted below also appear in the teams that have lost more games than they've won on their home court.

Heading into week 10

Some trends are difficult to explain, and this might be one of them. But it's interesting to monitor as we head into Gameday 10.

Watching your team on their home court, might not necessarily be the big advantage we always assume it to be. And when based on the information above, when the home fans are shouting for their team to play defense, it may be more important than ever in the Basketball Champions League.