Home court advantage?

UC plays four of its next five games at home, which should be good news, but the question arises: How much of a homecourt advantage do the Bearcats still have at home?

It used to be that a game at Fifth Third Arena was practically an automatic win. But last year UC was 9-8 at Fifth Third and so far this year the Bearcats are 4-3. That's a 13-11 record in the past two seasons.

The atmosphere at Fifth Third is nowhere close to where it once was and the crowds are much smaller. UC is averaging 7,391 in seven games in the 13,176-seat building this season, which is a little more than half the capacity. And those who have been to games this season might agree that the actual crowds often seem smaller than the announced attendance figure.

UC hasn't played at Fifth Third since the Dec. 19 loss to Memphis and except for the Tigers, who were ranked No. 2 nationally when they arrived in town, the home schedule hasn't had any teams that would serve as big attractions. Maybe things will change now that the Big East teams are beginning to show up.