The Eastern Michigan Eagles came off a 2004-05 season in which they went 10-18 straight up, which included a Mid-American Conference record of 5-13, which was good for fifth place in the MAC. The Eagles faded badly down the stretch with just four payoffs in sixteen games.
MAC teams are like tech stocks
The one thing about college basketball gambling with mid major programs like Eastern Michigan is that their fortunes, and board values, can change very quickly. MAC teams are like tech stocks that can rise and fall very quickly. While the public is quick to turn on a mid major team in a slump and, in fact, jump against them, they are also always looking for a “surprise” team that emerges before the masses discover it. Thus, regardless of their straight up record, Eastern Michigan deserved observation.
Profitable Start
The Eagles opened the 2005-06 season with a 67-65 home win over California as a 4.5-point dog. That was then followed by an unlined 65-87 loss at North Dakota State.
In their next game at home against Detroit, the Eagles scored a 60-64 loss as 3.5-point dogs for a razor thin defeat against the books. They got back on track, however, with a 63-79 loss at Indiana as whopping 23.5-point dogs, a clear sign of potential future value.
After a 77-71 home win over Youngstown State as 6.5-point chalks, the Eagles scored a 69-73 loss at Wisconsin Green Bay as 4.5-point dogs. That was then followed by a 67-62 home win over Tulsa as 1-point chalks for a profitable start of 4-2 against the spread to start the season.
Eastern Michigan then went back off the board and scored a 70-76 loss at Northern Colorado. That was followed by a 62-78 loss at Buffalo as 12.5-point dogs and then a 59-64 overtime loss at Miami-Ohio as 15.5-point dogs. From there, however, problems began.
Eastern Michigan Eagles Free Fall
Eastern Michigan returned home for a three game MAC stand starting with a 63-75 home win over Ohio as 6.5-point dogs. That was followed by a 64-74 loss to Kent State as 6.5-point dogs and then a 72-79 home loss to Bowling Green as 2.5-point chalks as a free fall against the college basketball gambling boards began.
At Akron in their next game, the Eagles suffered a 61-79 loss as 17-point dogs, which revealed their utter lack of board value. That was followed by a 62-68 loss at home to Western Michigan as 1-point dogs. Next was a 58-88 loss at Toledo as 13-point dogs, again showing that the Eagles were not commanding any board value whatsoever, even as double digit dogs. After a 55-67 loss at home to Northern Illinois, the dry spell against the board finally ended with an 81-75 home win over Central Michigan as 5-point chalks, snapping a seven game losing streak against the spread.
Unwanted bargain values
After that horrific stretch against the spread, Eastern Michigan was transformed into unwanted bargain values starting with a 56-43 win at Ball State as 12.5-point dogs. That was followed by a 71-73 loss/cover at Bowling Green as 8.5-point dogs. Next was a 72-77 loss/cover against Akron as 9.5-point dogs followed by a 64-67 loss cover at Western Michigan as 8.5-point dogs. Eastern Michigan was clearly demonstrating superior value on the board with those three consecutive loss covers, and got another payoff with a 65-50 win at Eastern Illinois as 1.5-point dogs for a sixth consecutive payoff.
Eastern Michigan Eagles Out of gas
Eastern Michigan was now catching the attention of college basketball gambling bargain hunters along with the oddsmakers, which would cause their value to be depleted beginning with a 59-70 home loss to Toledo as 3.5-point dogs. That was followed by a 61-94 loss at Northern Illinois as 12.5-point dogs. The bleeding stopped temporarily with an 80-69 win at Central Michigan as 2.5-point dogs but the Eagles proved to be out of gas with a SU&ATS loss to Ball State before a MAC tourney loss/cover.