The Drake Bulldogs were coming off another typical losing season for 2004-05 with a record of 13-16 straight up, including a Missouri Valley Conference record of 7-11, which put them in a seventh place finish, which is how life normally is for the Bulldogs.
Drake finished 2004-05 with a mark of 12-13 against the college basketball betting boards, but finished as a bargain value that got the cash in nine of their final thirteen games of the season, a great college basketball gambling lesson on value and on how the least desirable teams with the public can often be the most valuable.
Profitable start
Drake opened the 2005-06 season with a 69-61 home win over Detroit as 1-point favorites. They then scored an 85-36 blowout home win over Shawnee State that was off the board.
Drake then hit the road to face Boston College as a 10.5-point neutral court dog and scored an impressive 84-87 loss/cover as 10.5-point dogs. That was followed by an 86-79 neutral court win over Texas Christian as 3.5-point chalks as the Bulldogs got off to a profitable start of 3-0 against the college basketball board.
Drake was back off the board at home against Cornell-Iowa and scored a 102-62 win. Back on the board at home against Iowa State, however, the Bulldogs suffered a 74-89 loss as 3-point chalks, proving to be over-valued in a game in which the wrong team was favored.
After a 69-68 unlined home win over North Dakota Sate, Drake Bulldogs lost at home to Montana 72-78 in overtime as 5.5-point chalks for a second straight loss against the board.
Back on track
Drake Bulldogs got back on track starting with an 82-64 win at San Jose State as 2-point dogs and followed that up with a 60-65 loss at Iowa 12.5-point dogs. They then scored a 73-60 unlined home win over Southern Utah. Drake Bulldogs began Missouri Valley Conference play with a nice 79-68 home win over Evansville as 1.5-point chalks.
Down in the Valley
Drake next met up with Southern Illinois, one of the MVC’s favorites, and lost 50-64 as 6.5-point dogs. The Bulldogs returned home and lost to Missouri State 79-85 as 5-point dogs. After a 75-73 home win over Bradley as 1-point dogs, Drake lost at Creighton 69-82 as 9.5-point dogs for a third loss in four games against the spread, as Drake proved to be down in the Valley
Brief burst
Drake returned home to face Indiana State and scored a 76-59 win as 8.5-point chalks. That was followed by a 46-47 loss/push at home against Southern Illinois and then a 77-68 win at Indiana State as 2.5-point chalks for a brief burst of 2-0-1 against the board.
Free fall
Drake had showed themselves as relatively competitive in many MVC games versus the contending teams but simply couldn’t sustain success on the board or on the court. Their problems began with a 72-91 blowout loss at Northern Iowa as 11-point dogs. That was followed by a 62-85 loss at Wichita State as 9-point dogs. After a 49-51 home loss to Northern Iowa as 4-point dogs, the Bulldogs went into a full free fall.
Drake next went to Missouri State and lost 59-84 as 10-point dogs. That was followed by a 67-72 overtime loss to Creighton as 3-point dogs. Next came a 45-41 home win over Illinois State as 7.5-point overlays, for a seventh loss against the board in eight games.
Drake took to the road and suffered a 67-70 loss at UC Irvine as 4.5-point dogs, finally getting back in black. That was followed by a 58-60 loss to Wichita State in the Bulldogs home finale as 3-point dogs. The regular season ended with a 66-86 blowout loss at Bradley as 12.5-point dogs. Drake was eliminated in the first round of the MVC tourney with a 63-72 loss to Indiana State as 3-point chalks.