The St. Bonaventure Bonnies were simply one of the worst NCAA Division-1 basketball programs in recent memory. In 2004-05 the Bonnies went a humiliating 2-26 straight up and 10-16-1 against the spread. Worse yet, playing the expanded, improved, and tougher Atlantic 10 Conference the prospects for improvement were slim.
One potential bright spot regarding St. Bonaventure was the fact that they were so bad and had such a poor reputation that savvy bargain hunting gamblers might occasionally find them to be a good value as underdogs versus overlay teams. Often times teams such as St. Bonaventure end up getting more points than they actually should, particularly against good opponents, because of the public reputations of the teams involved. Since few casual mainstream gamblers would want a garbage team like the Bonnies against a perennial contender the oddsmakers will jack up the price to an overlay on the chalk in order to attract business St. Bonaventure’s way. But outside of this potential angle there was very little reason for anyone to get excited about what was certain to be another losing season at St. Bonaventure.
A deceiving surprise
St. Bonaventure opened the 2005-06 season with an unlined home win over Robert Morris. This was followed by an 88-101 loss at Niagara as a 10.5-point dog. After two games there was nothing unusual or different to detect about the St. Bonaventure Bonnies. In their next game at home against Canisius the St. Bonaventure Bonnies scored a nice 77-55 win as 1-point chalks. This was followed up with a strong effort in a 61-66 loss to West Virginia as 14-point neutral court dogs. St. Bonaventure next won back-to-back unlined games to start off the season as something of a deceiving surprise with a record of 4-2 straight up and 2-1 against the spread.
Back to normal
After a 66-58 win over Youngstown State as rare 12.5-point overlays, the Bonnies dropped two straight both straight up and against the spread. They first failed at Toledo 68-83 as 10.5-point dogs and then were blown out at Marist 51-69, as the Bonnies seemed to be back to normal.
Calm before the storm
St. Bonaventure next won at Florida International 69-65 in overtime as 4.5-point dogs. This was followed up with a discouraging 55-76-blowout loss to Texas-San Antonio as 5-point neutral court chalks. The Bonnies opened A10 play with a 58-60 loss at Saint Louis as 11-point chalks for their second cover in three games, which proved to be the calm before the storm.
A massive free fall
St. Bonaventure next went to Xavier and lost a 71-99 blowout as 19-point dogs, which began a massive free fall. Next came a 66-83 home loss to Temple as 5.5-point dogs. Another home loss followed, this time to Rhode Island 66-71 as 1-point chalks. A band-aid was applied to the terminally ill patient that was the Bonnies when they covered at Fordham in a 72-79 loss as 9.5-point dogs. The red ink resumed bleeding, however, in the St. Bonaventure Bonnies ’ next game, which was a 58-78 loss at Dayton as 12-point dogs. This was followed up with an 82-86 home loss to Duquesne as 10.5-point overlays. Charlotte next blew out the home standing Bonnies 76-60 as a 6.5-point road chalk. The Bonnies were then blown out 51-82 at Saint Joseph’s as a 15.5-point dog and completed their fall with a 70-81 home loss to Fordham as 3.5-point dogs. Overall St. Bonaventure had just dropped 8 out of 9 games against the spread as they headed into the home stretch.
Bargain basement dogs
St. Bonaventure already had a poor reputation amongst the mainstream gambling public and dropping 8 out of 9 against the line only enhanced that. This transformed the Bonnies, however, into bargain basement dogs the rest of the way. The flip began with a 71-57 home win over Richmond as 2.5-point dogs. The Bonnies next scored a 62-74 loss/cover at La Salle as 14-point dogs. UMass won and covered at St. Bonaventure 72-64 as a 5-point chalk but the Bonnies went on to cover their final three games of the season. They first beat Duquesne 77-76 as 1-point road dogs. The next lost to George Washington 78-89 as 13-point dogs in their home finale. In the season’s finale game at Richmond, the Bonnies got the cash in a 64-65 loss as 7.5-point dogs to cover 5 of their final 6 games.