hifigator
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
Posts: 6,387
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Post by hifigator on Jan 22, 2008 16:09:08 GMT -5
I agree that for healthy 20 year old men, travel really shouldn't be that big of a deal. But in the case where each team has 2 games in 3 days, and one team is at home for both then I think it could matter. One team goes home and is in their routine immediately. The other team has to spend the off day traveling and is then in a hotel while the other team is again in their own beds. In any case, regardless of what I think or don't think, it sure didn't work out that way last night. I thought we were about to give the dang game away for a while. But all's well that ends well ... aside from my $5 wager which lost.
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Post by I Bleed Hoya Gray on Jan 22, 2008 16:15:16 GMT -5
We? I always thought hifigator cheered against the Hoyas. Shows what I know.
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Massholya
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 2,010
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Post by Massholya on Jan 22, 2008 16:25:57 GMT -5
As someone who has played competitive sports most of my life, I cannot understand why people think college athletes can't have "tired legs" or that if they do it means they're in bad shape. Ridiculous. These guys played a competitive game. They had a days rest and then they had to travel. I don't know how they got to Pittsburgh, but assuming they flew it's still at least a couple of hours in buses transporting to the airport in addition to the 1-2 hours sitting in the plane. As any of you that have had to do this know, it's not so much an issue of muscle fatigue as it is stiffness and overall weariness of travel - actually I'm not even sure that you could avoid this no matter how great your conditioning is. It is a completely different scenario from playing games in the same venue or on consecutive days. It's the travel that makes the difference and it's a real phenomenon. Is it an excuse for losing to Pitt? No. But to suggest it didn't play a role is ridiculous and it almost certainly played a role in our outscoring the cuse something like 13-4 in the last 7 minutes of the game.
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Post by JohnJacquesLayup on Jan 22, 2008 16:42:13 GMT -5
Wow, now that you put it that way . . .
You're absolutely right. 1-2 hours of sitting down is very strenuous, especially considering the jet lag of landing within the same time zone. And how could we not realize that pre-game stretches and warm-ups could never loosen up these D1 athletes' muscles to relieve that "stiffness" from the aforementioned 1-2 hours of sitting. Watching your trainers carry your bags for you must just be exhausting as well.
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hifigator
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
Posts: 6,387
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Post by hifigator on Jan 22, 2008 17:21:28 GMT -5
JJL, the point is that when you are lacking in depth to begin with, as Syracuse is, and then have to play 2 games in 3 days, with the off day being a travel day, then it takes just enough out of you compared to sleeping in your own bed and generally doing your normal routine. Regardless, we shouldn't have to come back just to beat Cuse by a bucket, especially at home.
Hoya Grey wrote:
We? I always thought hifigator cheered against the Hoyas. Shows what I know.
I have only rooted "against" Georgetown in one game in years.
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Post by JohnJacquesLayup on Jan 22, 2008 17:31:14 GMT -5
I understand the point; I just disagree with the premise that a mild trip to another venue can influence a game. I feel that adrenaline and focus can really negate any possible effect, especially with no time change involved in the travel. There is the possibility that the travel time cuts down on game preparation such as studying film and running through new sets, but that has nothing to do with travel fatigue. Just my thoughts on the subject.
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Massholya
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 2,010
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Post by Massholya on Jan 22, 2008 19:19:00 GMT -5
JJL obviously you haven't taken too many actual layups. This has NOTHING to do with time zones. Maybe you've never sat in a bus for a couple of hours either. I guess you're just missing the entire point which was this has nothing to do with exertion. Where did I say travel was a strenuous activity. Travelling can sometimes make you flat - particularly when it's bookended by strenuous activity. I guess you just disagree but I think there is plenty of evidence to the contrary. I certainly think that Jay Bilas provides a better perspective on this than either you or I and seems to believe that this is a real phenomenon. While I would agree that a trip across town or even an hour or 2 down the road probably doesn't make a huge difference, I don't understand how people can think that a trip several hours long in cramped spaces makes NO difference.
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SFHoya99
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
Posts: 17,899
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Post by SFHoya99 on Jan 22, 2008 19:26:10 GMT -5
The reality is that there is a very real home/road difference for whatever reason, and much of it applies even for teams that don't have good fan support.
Massholya's explanation is logical -- even if you don't play college sports, travel can be exhausting -- and something makes it harder to win on the road.
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Post by JohnJacquesLayup on Jan 22, 2008 23:17:51 GMT -5
JJL obviously you haven't taken too many actual layups. This has NOTHING to do with time zones. Maybe you've never sat in a bus for a couple of hours either. I guess you're just missing the entire point which was this has nothing to do with exertion. Where did I say travel was a strenuous activity. Travelling can sometimes make you flat - particularly when it's bookended by strenuous activity. I guess you just disagree but I think there is plenty of evidence to the contrary. I certainly think that Jay Bilas provides a better perspective on this than either you or I and seems to believe that this is a real phenomenon. While I would agree that a trip across town or even an hour or 2 down the road probably doesn't make a huge difference, I don't understand how people can think that a trip several hours long in cramped spaces makes NO difference. You've got me pegged. It's true, I've never taken a layup or ridden on a bus. There are too many variables involved in a basketball game for someone to attribute the poor performance of a team on being worn out from travel. If I cared to argue this any further, I'm confident there are just as many cases where the home team came out flat or looked tired, as there are where the road team looks depleted. Off the top of my head, do you remember the Fairfield game earlier this year? That was not a 10-12 point game until the final minute, thanks to end of game fouling and a couple garbage time dunks. UCONN? 'Cuse? We escaped each with a win, but all were cases were the home team Hoyas were flat.
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