The Kansas State student section yells during the game against Kansas on Jan. 30 in Manhattan. Kansas State has had considerably better luck at home this season. KSU is 6-1 at home, but just 2-4 on the road.

Big 12 Conference teams have won a better percentage of their home games than any other of the six major conferences in America.

Big 12 teams have won 67.6 percent of their conference home games this season. The Southeastern Conference checked in at second with a 66.7 home winning percentage.

The 67.6 percent is an increase in the Big 12 from last year’s home winning percentage of 64.5.

In fact, every Big 12 team is at or above .500 at home this season, with the exceptions of Colorado and Missouri.

Put another way, road victories have been extremely tough to come by.

“It’s a mental deal,” Texas Tech coach Pat Knight said of the difficulty of playing on the road. “Kids tend to play a little scared and get caught up with the crowd and the atmosphere. That’s where leadership comes in. You have to have a coach on the floor to get guys going when things aren’t going right.”

Knight’s Red Raiders are a prime example of the home vs. road disparity. TTU is 5-1 at home, but 1-5 away from Lubbock, Texas.

Other notable disparities include Kansas State (6-1 home, 2-4 road), Iowa State (4-2 home, 0-6 road) and Oklahoma State (4-2 home, 2-5 road).

This year’s Big 12 Conference champion will likely come down to which team, among Texas, Kansas and Kansas State plays the best on the road.

The three teams are a combined 18-1 at home, but Texas is the only Big 12 school with a winning road record.

Texas currently sits atop the conference with a 5-2 away record. Kansas is second in the conference with a 3-3 road record, while K-State is third with a 2-4 road record.

“Who knows why people are just more comfortable at home?” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “Crowd, energy, I have no idea. But the best teams figure that out and find a way to get it done away from home.”