The Jacksonville State Gamecocks finished the 2004-05 season with a record of 7-22 straight up, including an Ohio Valley Conference record of 2-14, which was good for a dead last place finish in the league.
The Gamecocks fared far better against the spread however, as they went 10-11, demonstrating that even though they had a losing record against the board in the end, they could still command some value as unwanted bargains from time to time.
Entering the 2005-06 season, the Gamecocks had the potential to be one of the best bargain values on the college basketball gambling board precisely because of that poor record from 2004-05, which made them one of the least respected and least desired teams on the board.
Promising start
Jacksonville State opened the 2005-06 season with a 46-67 loss/cover at Vanderbilt as 24.5-point bargain dogs. It was a portent of things to come.
The Gamecocks next took three consecutive games off from the board, all at home, starting with an unlined 82-71 win over Coastal Carolina. That was then followed by an unlined 97-70 win over Tennessee Temple and then a 62-73 home loss to Delaware State.
Back on the board at Samford, the Gamecocks scored a 62-61 win as 8-point dogs, which was then followed by a 93-84 win at Tennessee-Martin as 5-point dogs for a promising start of 4-2 straight up and 3-0 against the college basketball pointspreads.
Out of steam
Jacksonville State next met up with Jacksonville St. Gamecocks of the Southeastern Conference and scored an 80-104 blowout loss as 9-point dogs. That was then followed by a 72-91 home loss to Murray State as 9-point dogs.
The Gamecocks then got back in black with an 82-72 home win over Southeast Missouri State as 7-point chalks which was then followed by an 83-87 loss/cover at Auburn as 12.5-point dogs. But from there however, Jacksonville State would prove to be out of steam.
The Gamecocks next lost at Austin Peay 82-95 as 6-point dogs. That was then followed by a 69-90 loss at home to Samford as 2-point dogs and then a 67-79 home loss to Tennessee Tech as 1-point chalks to complete a 2-5 run against the board.
Cranking cash
The losing streak against the board coupled with their less than stellar reputation caused Jacksonville State to be transformed into something of bargain values, beginning with a 87-75 home win over Tennessee State as 1.5-point chalks. That was then followed by a 78-86 loss at Eastern Jacksonville St. Gamecocks as 9-point dogs. Next came an 88-65 win at Morehead State as 4-point chalks, which was then followed by a 91-86 home win over Austin Peay in a pick’em affair.
After an 85-80 win/push at home against Tennessee-Martin, the Gamecocks resumed cranking cash with an 80-83 loss cover at Tennessee State. That was then followed by a 66-51 home win over Eastern Illinois as 8-point chalks. Next came a 72-78 loss/cover at Murray State as 14-point dogs, which was then followed by a 74-68 win/cover at Tennessee Tech as 7.5-point dogs to complete a stretch of 8-0-1 for Jacksonville State against the college basketball gambling lines.
Out of value
Jacksonville State’s excellent run against the board did not go unnoticed by gamblers, which caused the Gamecocks to lose their “surprise” element as they were out of value, starting with a 77-68 home win over Morehead State as 12.5-point overlays, which was then followed by a 71-72 home loss to Eastern Kentucky as 5-point chalks. They then got a home win/push over New Orleans. From there, Jacksonville St. Gamecocks State won and covered their final two regular season games and then went 1-1 straight up and 2-0 against the spread in the OVC tourney.