The Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks finished the 2004-05 season with a record of 6-21 straight up, including an Ohio Valley Conference record of 3-13, which was good for a next to last finish in the league.
Against the spread the Skyhawks were equally as dreadful as they finished with just six payoffs in twenty-two lined games. It is interesting to note, however, that the Skyhawks did get the cash in four of their final six games of the season in a classic college basketball gambling lesson on value. Just at the point when no team had less appeal than the Skyhawks, that turned out to be the time that they carried the greatest board value.
As Tennessee-Martin prepared to open the 2005-06 season there was the distinct possibility that as a bottom feeding Ohio Valley Conference team that they would continue to offer good board value for much of the season, as they would likely be overlooked by better known and more respected teams in the league.
Promising start
The Skyhawks opened the 2005-06 season with a 61-78 loss/cover at Louisville as whopping 30-point dogs. That was then followed by a 94-72 unlined home win over Webster. Next came an 80-77 overtime home win over Arkansas State in which the Skyhawks were 1.5-point dogs. That was followed by a 72-60 home win over Southeast Missouri State as 5.5-point chalks. The Skyhawks then scored another unlined home win over Spalding by a score of 79-59 for a promising start to the new season of 4-1 SU and 3-0 ATS.
Down and up pattern
Tennessee-Martin then entered a phase in which they went through a down and up pattern, beginning with an 84-93 home loss to Jacksonville State as 5-point chalks. That was then followed by an 80-67 win at Morehead State as 5.5-point chalks. That was followed by a 61-75 loss at Eastern Kentucky as 5.5-point dogs and then a 54-62 loss/cover at Purdue as 11-point dogs. The final tune up before Ohio Valley Conference action went into full swing was a 46-84 blowout loss at Illinois as 27-point dogs.
Unable to gain traction
Tennessee-Martin entered the heart of Ohio Valley Conference play with an 84-75 home win over Austin Peay in a pick’em affair. That was then followed by a 65-79 home loss to Samford as 2-point dogs. Next came an 82-85 loss/cover at Tennessee State as 8.5-point dogs.
From there, however, the Skyhawks proved unable to gain traction starting with a 70-80 overtime loss at Eastern Illinois as 1-point dogs. That was then followed by a 71-66 overtime home win over Morehead State as 14-point overlays. Next was an 88-96 loss at Austin Peay as 8-point dogs to complete a stretch in which the Skyhawks went 4-6-1 against the college basketball betting board.
Value finally arrived
Tennessee-Martin, with that lone exception of the end of the 2004-05 season carried over to the very start of 2005-06, had not offered any board value to note but that was about to change as their board value finally arrived starting with a 73-79 home loss to Murray State as 7.5-point dogs. That was then followed by a 60-67 loss at Samford as 13-point dogs.
After an 80-85 loss/push at Jacksonville State as 5-point dogs, the Skyhawks scored a 90-83 home win over Eastern Kentucky as 1-point chalks, which was then followed by an 88-78 home win over Tennessee Tech as 2-point dogs. That was then followed by a 66-55 win/cover at Southeast Missouri State in a pick’em affair, which was Tennessee-Martin’s sixth consecutive game without a loss against the board.
The Skyhawks finally had that streak snapped with a 71-68 home win over Tennessee State that they failed to cover as 3.5-point chalks. But Tennessee-Martin got right back in black starting with an 85-61 win over Eastern Illinois as 9-point chalks, which was then followed by a 72-74 loss/cover at Tennessee Tech as 5.5-point dogs, and then a 69-62 win at Evansville as 5-point dogs. They then lost SU&ATS at Murray State to end the regular season and got a loss cover in the OVC tourney.