2005 Stats
College Basketball Betting Lines
| Straight up | 19-13 overall, 8-6 conference, 2nd Southern North
|
| Against the spread | 13-13 (6-3 home, 3-8 away)
|
| Over/Under | 12-13 (4-5 home, 5-6 away)
|
| Offensive Rank | 95th
|
| Defensive Rank | 208th
|
2005 Season Summary
The Chattanooga Moccasins finished the 2004-05 season with a record of 20-11 straight up, including a Southern Conference record of 10-6, which was good for first place in the North Division.
The Moccasins were unable to keep pace on the board, however, as they were just 13-14 against the spread. They did cover four of their final seven regular season games and won the Southern Conference tournament with despite covering just one of the three games. They were then eliminated by Wake Forest in the first round of the “big dance” by a score of 54-70 as 18.5-point dogs.
The Moccasins gained notoriety with that NCAA tournament bid, which instantly gave them more name recognition than nearly any other team in the Southern Conference. And that was a bad thing as the better known and more respected a mid-major team is, the less value they offer against the spread. Chattanooga was to provide a classic lesson on college basketball gambling value relative to a team’s reputation to begin the 2005-06 season.
Stumbling out of the gate
Chattanooga opened the 2005-06 season with a 48-64 loss at Mississippi State as 6.5-point dogs. That was then followed by a 79-93 unlined home win over Belmont. Next came a 46-67 win at Minnesota as 10-point dogs. That was then followed by an unlined home win over Asbury 97-60. Back on the board at North Texas, however, the Moccasins resumed stumbling out of the gate with a 76-83 loss as 5-point dogs.
The Moccasins got a brief break from the grief of red ink with a 69-64 win over Creighton as 6.5-point dogs. That was then followed by a pair of unlined home wins starting with a 97-50 decision over Milligan and followed by a 92-62 win over Virginia Intermont. From there it was yet another loss against the board in the form of a 65-82 neutral court defeat to Holy Cross as 3-point dogs.
Bargain values
It doesn’t take a mid-major team long to have the public turn on it or to lull the gambling masses to sleep and that is exactly what Chattanooga did as they started off with a 1-4 mark against the board. With that start came enhanced value on the board, beginning with a 93-67 win at Puerto-Rico-Mayaquez as 21.5-point chalks. That was then followed by an 85-74 overtime win over Mt. St. Mary’s on a neutral court as 8.5-point chalks.
The Moccasins then scored a pair of neutral court wins over Maine (90-75) and then Howard (68-63). They then lost at Furman 71-76 as 4.5-point dogs and followed that up with a 78-69 win over NC Greensboro as 7-point chalks to resume their role as bargain values.
Brief stumble
The Moccasins then suffered from a brief stumble after that 3-1 streak against the spread beginning with a 74-92 home loss to Elon University as 4-point chalks. That was then followed by a 56-74 loss at Western Carolina as 3.5-point dogs.
Back on track
Chattanooga next scored a 73-57 win at Appalachian State as 6-point dogs. That was followed by a 77-67 home win over Austin Peay as 3.5-point chalks as the Moccasins were back on track against the spread. Chattanooga got another payoff with a 65-59 win over Davidson as 5.5-point dogs to complete a three game winning streak ATS.
Depleted value
Before gamblers could get hooked on the Moccasins, however, they suffered from depleted value beginning with a 53-67 loss at Charleston as 8-point dogs. That was then followed by a 74-64 overtime win at the Citadel as 7-point chalks. But the Moccasins lost the money again in their next game, 71-93 to Georgia Southern as 1-point chalks.
Finished strong
Chattanooga finished the regular season with a mark of 4-1 straight up and 3-2 against the spread and then made the third round of the conference tournament before losing to Davidson SU&ATS in the title game.