The LSU Tigers finished the 2004-05 season with a record of 20-10 straight up, including a Southeastern Conference record of 12-4, which was good for a first place tie with Alabama in the SEC West Division.
LSU finished the regular season with a phenomenal run against the board of fourteen covers in their final sixteen games, as they entered post season as one of the hottest teams on the board.
LSU Tigers then went on to cover their two SEC tournament games before finally running out of gas with a 68-82 loss to Alabama Birmingham as 4.5-point chalks in the NCAA tournament to finish the year 19-9 against the spread. The Tigers incredible domination of the sportsbooks would not be forgotten by gamblers as the new season began.
LSU’s run against the board was at a streak that was not sustainable, however, and it was only a matter of time before they went through a violent market correction.
More of the same at the start
LSU opened the 2005-06 season with a pair of unlined home wins over Southern and Nicholls State. In their lined opener at West Virginia, the Tigers scored a 71-68 overtime win as 5-point dogs. That was then followed by an 83-84 home loss to Houston as 9.5-point chalks and then another unlined home win over McNeese State.
Back on the board at home against New Orleans, LSU scored a 94-53 blowout win as 17.5-point chalks, which was then followed by an 81-62 home win over Louisiana Lafayette as 13.5-point chalks as it was more of the same at the start for LSU Tigers, who was 3-1 against the spread to open the year.
After a 50-54 upset home loss to Northern Iowa as 8-point chalks, the Tigers scored an unlined neutral court win over Arkansas-Monticello. The Tigers next scored a 72-75 neutral court loss/push to Cincinnati as 3-point dogs. That was then followed by a 76-78 loss/cover at Ohio State as 5.5-point dogs and then a 75-58 win over Tulane as 20-point overlays.
Another streak
LSU’s brief slowdown ended with a strong 66-67 loss/cover at top ranked Connecticut as 10.5-point dogs. That was followed by a SEC opening win and cover at Arkansas 63-58 as 3-point dogs as another streak was underway. LSU Tigers next scored an 88-74 home win over Tennessee as 7-point chalks. That was then followed by a 71-57 win at Mississippi State as 6-point chalks and then a 68-57 home win/push over Alabama as 11-point chalks. The Tigers’ unbeaten streak against the spread reached six games with an 81-52 blowout win at Georgia as 13.5-point chalks.
Correction finally arrived
LSU had now covered twenty-five of their past thirty-one games against the spread dating back to the end of the 2004-05 season, which was a pace that simply couldn’t be sustained. The Tigers were like a stock that had long ago reached its peak and was now over-valued. The long overdue correction finally arrived in the form of a 79-73 win at Mississippi as 7.5-point chalks. That was then followed by an 84-69 home win over Auburn as 16-point chalks. Next came a 62-67 win at Alabama as 3.5-point chalks. That was then followed by a 78-77 home win over Arkansas as 6.5-point overlays. Next came a 62-71 loss at Florida as 6-point dogs followed by a 72-59 win over Mississippi State as 15.5-point overlays, a clear indicator that LSU was over-valued. The Tigers then dropped a seventh consecutive game against the board with a 65-61 loss at Auburn as 8.5-point chalks. LSU Tigers then went on to finish the regular season 4-0 SU and 2-2 ATS.
Final Four
LSU got a 1-1 SU&ATS split in the SEC tournament before embarking on an incredible run in the NCAA tournament, beginning with an 80-64 win over Iona as 7.5-point chalks. That was then followed by a close call against Texas A&M in a 58-57 loss as 4.5-point overlays. In the “Sweet Sixteen” round LSU scored a 62-54 win over Duke as 5-point dogs. That was then followed by a 70-60 overtime epic over Texas as 3-point dogs to make the Final Four. LSU then lost to UCLA 45-59 as 1.5-point chalks to end a great season.