The Eastern Kentucky Colonels finished the 2004-05 season with a record of 22-9 straight up, which included an Ohio Valley Conference record of 11-5, which was good for a second place tie with Murray State in the league standings.
Against the spread the Colonels finished 14-10, as they got the cash in nine of their final fourteen games of the season to finish in the black. Best of all, Eastern Kentucky won the Ohio Valley Conference tournament, gaining a berth in the “Big Dance” where they lost 64-72 to Kentucky as 16.5-point bargain dogs to complete one of the best seasons in school history.
With that excellent and profitable season, however, came the distinct likelihood that Eastern Kentucky would suffer from a loss of value on the board as when an unknown team from a mid major conference makes the NCAA tournament, they are all of a sudden known and remembered by gamblers, causing a drop in board value and an increase in the pointspreads as a result.
Calm before the storm
Eastern Kentucky opened the 2005-06 season with an 89-95 overtime loss to Wisconsin as 12.5-point neutral court bargains in what appeared to be a case of the Colonels picking up where they left off in the previous season. As it turned out, however, it the opening night payoff proved to be the calm before the storm.
Free fall
Eastern Kentucky next met up with Norfolk State, also on a neutral court, as 10-point chalks and could not cover their 67-60 win. That was then followed up with a 68-76 neutral court loss against Georgia as 3-point dogs, which was then followed by a 58-92 loss at Tennessee as 10.5-point dogs for a third straight failure against the board and the start of a free fall.
After an unlined 88-46 home win over West Virginia Wesleyan, the Colonels lost at home to Western Kentucky 89-97 as 3-point dogs. That was then followed by a 51-80 loss at Murray State as 10.5-point dogs. Next came a 63-79 loss at Austin Peay as 1.5-point dogs. The red ink continued flowing with a 57-50 home win over Eastern Illinois that the Colonels failed to cover as 11-point overlays, completing a string of seven games without a payoff for EKU.
Bargain values Eastern Kentucky Colonels
The horrific start to the season certainly chased off most of the college basketball gambling public, which transformed Eastern Kentucky into bargain values, beginning with a 75-61 home win over Tennessee-Martin as 5.5-point chalks. That was then followed by an unlined 60-51 home win over Coastal Carolina.
After a 62-68 loss at Southeast Missouri State as 1-point dogs, the Colonels got back on track with a 93-75 home win over Tennessee Tech as 2-point chalks. That was then followed by a 63-82 loss at Xavier in which the Colonels got the cash as 20-point dogs. That was then followed by a 65-63 win at Morehead State that Eastern Kentucky failed to cover as 10-point overlays, which was then followed by a 71-46 bounce back blowout win at Eastern Illinois in which EKU was a 2.5-point chalk for their fourth payoff in six games.
Gushing red ink again
Just when it looked as if EKU had their act together, however, they stumbled starting with an 86-78 home win over Jacksonville State as 9-point overlays. That was then followed by a 66-85 home loss to Samford as 1-point chalks. After a 79-74 win and cover at Tennessee State as 5-point dogs, the Colonels were gushing red ink again with four consecutive losses SU&ATS at Tennessee-Martin, at Tennessee Tech, and at home against Morehead State and Murray State.
Back in black Eastern Kentucky Colonels
Eastern Kentucky finished the season 4-2 both SU&ATS before losing in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament to Jacksonville State 59-86 as 3.5-point dogs.