The Evansville Purple Aces finished the 2004-05 season with a record of 11-17 straight up, which included a Missouri Valley Conference record of 5-13 against the spread, good for 9th place in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Despite the poor on court performance Evansville was reasonably effective against the college basketball betting lines, exceeding their straight up record by covering thirteen out of twenty-five lined games. But it was also true that Evansville faded poorly down the stretch as they got the cash in just three of their final thirteen games against the board.
Another good start
Evansville had started off the 2004-05 season as one of the more profitable teams on the college basketball betting boards but that weak finish turned off a lot of gamblers, which would help serve to transform the Purple Aces into bargain values early in 2005-06.
Evansville opened the season with a 91-81 home win over Marshall as 3.5-point chalks. That was followed by an 86-99 loss at Loyola-Chicago as 7.5-point dogs.
Evansville went right back in the black, however, starting with a 67-70 win at Marshall as 5-point dogs. The Purple Aces then returned home to face intra-state rival Purdue and scored a 75-69 win as 1.5-point chalks. That was followed by a 77-84 loss at Western Kentucky as 14-point dogs as the Purple Aces were off to another good start at 4-1 against the college basketball board.
Evansville next took a couple of games off from the board starting with a 70-63 home win over Western Illinois. That was then followed by an 83-71 home win over Campbell.
Back on the board against Austin Peay, Evansville scored a 71-74 win and cover as 3.5-point dogs. That was followed by a 68-79 home loss to Drake in the Missouri Valley Conference opener as 1.5-point dogs.
Up and down Evansville Purple Aces pattern continued
Evansville next scored a 60-71 loss/cover at Northern Iowa as 17-point dogs. That was then followed by a 65-80 home loss to Missouri State as 10-point dogs. The up and down pattern continued with a 63-58 home win over Indiana State as 3-point chalks.
Losing ground
As Missouri Valley Conference play heated up, the Purple Aces began losing ground starting with a horrific 38-66 loss at Southern Illinois as 13.5-point dogs. That was followed by a 62-90 loss at Bradley as 14.5-point dogs.
Evansville briefly stopped the bleeding with a 57-65 loss/cover at Illinois State as 9-point dogs followed by a 62-69 loss/cover to Wichita State as 9-point dogs . But just when you thought that Evansville was gaining as a board value then lost at Creighton 58-77 as 17.5-point dogs and then lost at home to Northern Iowa 61-74 as 11-point dogs to complete a 2-4 stretch ATS.
Evansville Purple Aces Unwanted values
There are few things more unappealing to the gambling public in college basketball betting than a bottom feeding mid-major team that is in a slump against the board. But that is also what transforms such a team into unwanted values, as would prove to be the case with Evansville starting with a 76-79 overtime home loss to Bradley as 8.5-point dogs. That was followed by a 66-74 loss at Wichita State as 15.5-point dogs.
Evansville kept getting the cash with a 54-47 home loss to Illinois State as 1.5-point chalks. That was followed by a 56-60 home loss to Creighton as 8-point dogs and then a 69-68 loss at Drake as 9-point dogs for a fifth straight payoff.
Evansville would finish the regular season with two consecutive SU&ATS losses followed by two consecutive SU&ATS wins. In the MVS tourney they got a win/cover over Illinois State before losing SU&ATS to Southern Illinois to be eliminated.