2005 Stats
| Straight up | 13-16 overall, 7-8 conference, 3rd Sun Belt West
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| Against the spread | 8-19 (2-7 home, 6-10 away)
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| Over/Under | 10-17 (1-8 home, 8-8 away)
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| Offensive Rank | 212th
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| Defensive Rank | 174th
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2005 Season Summary
The Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns finished the 2004-05 season with a record of 20-11 straight up, including a Sun Belt Conference record of 11-4, which was good for second place in the league’s West Division.
The Cajuns also excelled against the board as they lost just nine out of twenty-seven lined games for the season, finishing as one of the most profitable teams in college basketball betting.
The Cajuns rallied back in post season after fading down the stretch at the end of the regular season with just two payoffs in their final seven games. In the post season, however, Louisiana-Lafayette won the Sun Belt Conference tourney and made the “Big Dance” where they were eliminated by Louisville 62-68 as 11.5-point dogs as they covered all four of their tournament games.
2004-05 was about as good as it can get for a team such as Louisiana-Lafayette and there was the concern of a severe college basketball gambling market correction as the Cajuns would be hard pressed to duplicate their board success of 2005.
In trouble right from the start
Louisiana-Lafayette opened the 2005-06 season with a 47-65 loss at Southern Illinois as 8.5-point dogs. They then got a payoff in their next game at Tennessee in a 76-83 loss/cover as 10.5-point dogs. But from there, the Cajuns would prove to be in trouble right from the start.
In their next game at Georgia State, the Cajuns lost 61-76 as 2.5-point chalks in a stunning upset, which was then followed by a 62-67 home loss to Charlotte as 1-point chalks for a third loss in four games against the college basketball gambling lines.
The bleeding was temporarily halted with a 65-59 overtime win at Texas-El Paso in which the Cajuns were 6.5-point dogs, but then resumed with a 78-85 loss at Louisiana Tech as 4.5-point dogs.
Louisiana-Lafayette then took a game off from the board and scored a 95-74 home win over Oral Roberts. Back on the board against eventual Final Four qualifier Louisiana State, the Cajuns were hammered 62-81 as 13.5-point dogs. They then went back off the board and scored an 89-77 home win over McNeese State. Back on the board at Nevada, Louisiana-Lafayette scored a 58-65 loss/cover as 14-point dogs. It was to be the last payoff for a long time.
Free Fall
Louisiana-Lafayette had already proven that they were nowhere near the board value that they were in 2004-05 but things were to get far worse before they got better, beginning with a 76-70 home win over Georgia State as 13-point overlays. That was then followed by a 79-86 loss at North Texas as 2-point dogs. Next came a 63-75 loss at Denver as 2-point dogs as the Cajuns were in a full free fall against the board.
Back home against South Alabama, the Cajuns fared no better in a 51-61 loss as 6-point chalks. That was then followed by a 50-73 home loss to Troy as 10-point chalks in a horrific effort. The Cajuns kept gushing red ink with a 50-55 loss at Florida International as 2.5-point chalks and followed that up with a 60-53 home win over New Orleans as 9.5-point overlays.
Louisiana-Lafayette and gamblers were given no mercy yet as the Cajuns lost at Western Kentucky 81-94 as 10.5-point dogs and followed that up with a 59-73 loss at Middle Tennessee State as 6-point dogs to complete a total collapse in which they went 2-7 straight up and 0-9 against the college basketball board.
Unwanted bargain values
At this point it would have been difficult to conceive of a team with less appeal than the Ragin’ Cajuns, which served to enhance their board value for the regular season stretch drive beginning with a 77-58 home win over North Texas as 5.5-point chalks, launching them into a profitable finish to the regular season in which they went 7-1 SU and 5-3 ATS. In the Sun Belt Conference tourney the Cajuns failed to cover a 62-59 win over Troy as 3.5-point chalks and then lost SU&ATS to Western Kentucky.