The Nevada Wolf Pack finished the 2004-05 season with a record of 25-7 straight up, including a Western Athletic Conference record of 16-2, which was good for the first place regular season title.
Nevada was also stellar against the board as they went 18-11 against the spread, performing as a virtual money machine in the last two months of the season as they covered the spread in thirteen of their final sixteen games to enter post season play as one of the hottest and most profitable teams on the college basketball bard.
The Wolf Pack qualified for the NCAA tournament and was bounced in the second round by Illinois 59-71 as 11.5-point dogs to complete a excellent year.
Difficult to maintain their pace
After a season of excellence both on the court and at the sportsbook, Nevada faced the challenge of continuing that in a new season. As was the case for many teams coming off such a run against the board, it would prove to be difficult to maintain their pace as the “word” was out on the Wolf Pack and gamblers would remember them favorable, at least at the start of the new season.
Looking the same at the start
Nevada opened the 2005-06 season with an 82-74 home win over Sacramento State as 21-point overlays and then scored an unlined 77-62 win at Vermont.
The Wolf Pack stayed on the road to face arch-rival UNLV and scored a 68-61 win as 1.5-point dogs. That was followed by a stunning 72-70 win at Kansas as 5-point dogs and then a 77-70 win at Pacific as 4-point chalks for a third straight payoff as they were looking the same at the start of the new season. They then took a game off from the board with an unlined home win over UC Davis.
Correction arrived
Nevada was like a stock that reached its peak and was covering the board at a pace that was unsustainable. A college basketball gambling market correction was long overdue and that correction arrived beginning with a 56-67 neutral court loss to UCLA as 3-point overlays. After another unlined home win over Seattle Pacific, the Wolf Pack failed to cover a 68-62 home win over Georgia as 10-point chalks. That was then followed by an unlined home win over Norfolk State.
Free Fall
From there the Wolf Pack went into a full-fledged free fall beginning with a 65-58 win over Louisiana-Lafayette as 14-point overlays. They then hit the road and lost 80-89 at St. Mary’s as a 2.5-point chalk. That was followed by a 69-73 overtime loss at Hawaii as 1.5-point dogs and then a 63-56 win at San Jose State as 9-point overlays.
There was then a brief pause in the misery on the board with a 70-44 blowout home win over Idaho as 23.5-point chalks followed by an 81-67 home win over Boise State as 13.5-point chalks before the red ink resumed its flow, starting with a 77-87 loss at Fresno State as 4-point chalks. That was then followed by a 53-59 home loss to Utah State as 3.5-point chalks and then an 82-79 win at Boise State as 4-point overlays as the Wolf Pack completed a 2-9 stretch against the board.
Value to be restored
Nevada had basically turned off the college basketball gambling community with their inability to get the cash, as the gambling public had given up on them by the time the stretch drive arrived, which caused the Wolf Pack’s value to be restored.
Nevada began it’s resurgence with a 73-55 home win over Hawaii as 8-point chalks, which was the springboard to a four game winning streak both SU&ATS as the Wolf Pack covered eight of their final ten regular season games. Nevada went on to win the WAC tournament and made the NCAA tournament once again, where they lost in the first round to Montana 79-87 as 5-point overlays.