The team which finds ways to win on the road will likely capture the SEC basketball title
The Arkansas Razorbacks enter Tuesday's huge SEC basketball showdown against Vanderbilt with a perfect 10-0 record at home in Bud Walton Arena. Arkansas will certainly count on home court to help against the Commodores. It is absolutely essential that Arkansas defend Bud Walton in order to make a run at the SEC championship. However, beyond that game, the overall picture for the Hogs is defined by an acute need to win on the road. Arkansas won't lift an SEC trophy if it can't figure out how to win away from Fayetteville.
Let's look at some numbers. Eight SEC teams have no more than one loss at home. Arkansas is one of three teams which are unbeaten at home. Alabama has been inconsistent but has actually done well in road games, losing only one. Bama's problem is that it has already been tripped up twice at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa. The Tide have banked some solid road wins, suggesting a higher ceiling when everything is going right for Nate Oats' team.
It has been hard for SEC teams to win consistently on the road. Kentucky's two massive road comebacks this past week at LSU and Tennessee were outliers, not the norm. Arkansas has been roughed up on the road, losing by double digits at Auburn and Georgia on consecutive Saturdays. The road win at Ole Miss was encouraging, but it didn't lead to sustained high-level performances away from home.
One reason Florida should be seen as the current SEC basketball favorite (obviously subject to change; Vanderbilt looked like the favorite 10 days ago) is that it just did win on Vanderbilt's home floor. That's not only a high-end win, but a road win. Alabama could not win at Vandy. UF has therefore already separated itself from the Tide in one specific way. Texas A&M is 4-1 in the SEC, tied with Florida for the lead, because it managed to win on the road at both Auburn and Texas. Road wins really are separators in this conference.
It's true that if Arkansas can be perfect at home, it won't have to win every road game to rise to the top of the SEC standings. However, counting on perfection rarely works well as a plan. The likelihood is that Arkansas will have to raise the bar away from home and beat not only the lower-tier teams in the SEC, but some middle-tier opponents and maybe one high-end foe before the season is done.