Final scores don’t tell the whole story of Charlotte 49ers basketball this season

Don’t look for consistency in this college basketball season.

Home-court advantage doesn’t appear to be as strong. Some traditional powers — North Carolina, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky — appear to be ordinary at this point in the season.

And night-to-night consistency? Well, it doesn’t seem so consistent.

Charlotte men’s basketball coach Ron Sanchez, whose 49ers (6-6, 2-2 CUSA) open a two-game set at 7 p.m. Friday at Florida Atlantic (7-6, 2-2), says final scores don’t reflect everything that is happening behind the scenes.

Last weekend, his team was drubbed 61-37 in a Friday afternoon game at home against UAB; the 49ers trailed 37-11 at halftime. Yet 24 hours later, Charlotte cruised to a 70-55 victory over the same UAB team.

It’s happened elsewhere in the country. On Wednesday, Mountain West Conference co-leader Utah State beat Colorado State by 19 points. A night later, Colorado State won by nine.

Sanchez says he’s seen it happen several time this season, among teams that — like the 49ers and Conference USA — are playing back-to-back games against the same opponent to minimize travel-related COVID-19 risks.

“I wish I had the answer to something like that,” Sanchez said. “If I did, I could share it with every other coach around the country.”

But Sanchez says he thinks he knows part of what is happening.

“Some of it is behind the scenes,” he said. “It’s related to what is happening in the lives of the players this season. They’re being affected by a lot more than basketball.”

Several 49ers’ players had been looking forward to having their parents attend last weekend’s home games against UAB. But after a directive by Mecklenburg County health officials to suspend any types of social gatherings due to the rising spread of COVID cases locally, the 49ers decided to play the two weekend games without any fans, instead of the 25 or so who would have been permitted into Halton Arena.

So, no parents in the stands.

“Something like that affects the young people who play this game,” Sanchez said.

“It’s not an excuse — it’s reality. It’s what we all have to live with right now. I’m learning myself.”

Sanchez and other coaches are part-time psychologists this season.

“I have to make sure our players are in a good space,” he said.

That is why Sanchez is happy to be taking a road trip this weekend to south Florida. The 49ers’ only other scheduled Conference USA trip so far this season, to Marshall two weeks ago, was called off because of injury and COVID issues in the Marshall program.

“It will be good to have a road trip,” Sanchez said. “There’s time for bonding on the team. That time in the hotel is valuable.”

When the 49ers are at home, the players — like other students — live in some form of isolation. On the road, they are able to spend more time with one another.

“I think they’ve missed that,” Sanchez said of the players. “I know I’ve missed it.”

The 49ers’ coach says there’s one more way to look at last weekend’s two games.

“You’re not as good as your worst loss, but you’re also not as good as your biggest win,” he said.