The Santa Clara Broncos finished the 2004-05 season in much the same fashion as always with a record of 15-16 straight up, which included a West Coast Conference record of 7-7, placing them in a third place tie in the league standings. Against the spread the Broncos were slightly above break even with a mark of 15-13. Santa Clara offered gamblers decent value down the stretch as they went 10-6 against the number to end the season as a something of a quiet value.
A team like Santa Clara, however, without any real basketball tradition or success, will struggle to maintain profitability as they lack the depth to maintain board value once they attract more attention from the college basketball gambling public, which causes inflationary prices on the board that many lower to middle major level teams cannot cover.
Thus, that would be the challenge for Santa Clara, to maintain profitability while being better respected by the college basketball gambling community for that strong finish to 2004-05.
Bleeding red ink at the start
The Broncos opened the 2005-06 season with an unlined 97-53 home win win over CSU Stanislaus. That was followed by a 70-78 loss at UC-Irvine as 5-point dogs. Next came a 63-60 home win over Pacific in which the Broncos failed to payoff as 3.5-point chalks in a classic overlay/bad beat. After a 47-46 win/push at San Jose State, the Broncos lost in overtime at Mississippi State 69-82 as 12.5-point chalks. Santa Clara continued bleeding red ink at the start with a 73-58 home win over Cal Poly SLO as whopping 18-point overlays before finally getting a payoff in the form of a 66-75 loss cover at Oregon as 12.5-point dogs.
Unable to gain traction
The Broncos proved to be unable to gain traction against the board with that payoff, however, as they next lost at North Carolina in a 58-76 blowout to the defending national champs as 17.5-point dogs. After an unlined 86-35 home win over Notre Dame-CA, the Broncos lost at home to Montana 56-67 as 2.5-point chalks. That was then followed by a 63-61 home win over UC Riverside as 17-point overlays as Santa Clara opened the season in dreadful fashion with a mark of 1-7-1 against the spread.
Brief respite
Whatever respect the Broncos had from the college basketball gambling public was long since passed as they had proven to be a depleted value. Their slow start against the board did, however, transform them into bargain values for a brief respite from the misery.
After a unlined home win over Bucknell 77-68, the Broncos scored an 87-77 home win over Portland as 5.5-point chalks. That was then followed by a 68-81 loss to Gonzaga as 7.5-point dogs and then a 69-75 loss at San Diego as 7-point dogs for a second payoff in three games.
Back in red
The Broncos then slipped back in red, however with four consecutive losses SU&ATS at Loyola-Marymount, at Pepperdine, and at home to San Francisco and San Diego.
Bargain values
Santa Clara’s struggles against the board helped transform them into bargain values, however, beginning with a 71-85 loss/cover at Gonzaga as 17.5-value added dogs. That was then followed by an 80-56 win at Portland as 3.5-point dogs and then a 51-54 loss at St. Mary’s as 9-point dogs. After a 69-76 overtime loss at home to St. Mary’s in a home-and home rematch as 1-point chalks, Santa Clara got back on track with a 57-67 loss/cover at Hawaii as 11.5-point dogs. That was then followed by a 83-78 win at San Francisco as 6.5-point dogs and then an 81-70 home win over Loyola Marymount as 3.5-point chalks for a sixth payoff in seven games against the board. Santa Clara then failed to cover a 62-56 home win over Pepperdine in the regular season finale as 8-point chalks.
In the WCC tourney the Broncos got a win/cover over Portland before losing to St. Mary’s 72-76 in OT as 4-point dogs for a push.