For the first time in almost six weeks, the University of Maine men’s basketball team will play a game at its actual home court Thursday night.

Seven of the last eight games were on the road with the closest being in Hanover, N.H., and only one of the two home games during a nine-game stretch was actually in Orono.

“It’s almost like another away game for us because it’s the 10th court we’ve played on in the last 10 games,” said UMaine coach Ted Woodward. “But you know, the conference tournament isn’t in Orono, so we have to be able to win games on the road.”

That they did, to the tune of four out of seven road games and a 5-4 record overall.

“It’s tough playing all those away games, but I think it made us better,” said junior guard Ernest Turner. “I’m anxious to just get out there on our own court and play in front of a home crowd. Everybody is.”

Maine will tip off against a 5-2 University of Maine-Farmington team at 7:30 tonight at Alfond Arena.

The last game, a come-from-behind victory against Indiana University-Purdue University-Fort Wayne, may have been the biggest on the long road tour – even more than the one at Rhode Island – simply because it ended a two-game slide. It also provided senior forward Mark Flavin, who had been struggling in the early season with a much-needed shot in the arm.

Flavin had his best game of the season with 17 points, seven rebounds, and three blocked shots, but more importantly, he played solid man-to-man defense on IPFW star forward David Simon, an NBA prospect rated the second-best center in the country last year. Simon had 16 points and 10 boards, but shot 5-for-16 from the floor.

“Flav’s no stranger to the court. He played great against an NBA prospect and I’m sure it helped,” said junior guard Kevin Reed. “He got the best of him and got the win, too.”

Flavin’s defensive improvement should be crucial to Maine’s success as the Bears will see plenty of solid teams with talented big men once the America East schedule starts.

“I know he can score, but the thing I’m most pleased with is the way he’s improving his defense,” Woodward said.

This is the first of two straight home games for Maine. The players are just happy to leave their bags unpacked.

“It feels good just to be here,” said Reed. “You get kind of tired of the hotels and buses and life on the road.”