The Florida Gators completed the 2004-05 season with a record of 24-8 straight up, including a Southeastern Conference record of 12-4, which was good for a second place finish behind Kentucky in the SEC East Division. The Gators went 14-12-1 against the spread for the season.
Florida had developed as a consistently winning program although they still operated in the shadow of the football team. The Gators were becoming regulars in the NCAA tournament but still did not attract the same amount of gambling action as such perennial powers as Kentucky, North Carolina, Duke and Kansas.
Cranking cash Florida Gators
Florida opened the 2005-06 season with an 80-51 win over St. Peter’s as 20-point home chalks for a nice start to the season. That was then followed by an 83-64 win and cover as 15.5-point home chalks over Albany.
The Gators next took off for a pair of neutral court games starting with a 77-72 win over Wake Forest as 2-point chalks, which was then followed by a 75-70 win over Syracuse as 3-point chalks. The four game payoff streak ended with a 74-66 win over Florida State as 9.5-point home overlays. The Gators then took a break from the board with an unlined home win over Alabama State.Florida resumed cranking cash with an 80-47 home win over Central Florida as 21-point chalks. That was then followed by an 87-77 win at Providence as 5.5-point chalks. The Gators then went back off the board for a pair of home wins over Jacksonville and Bethune-Cookman. Back on the board at Miami-Florida, the Gators scored a 77-67 win as 2.5-point chalks before taking another break from the board with unlined home wins over Florida A&M and Morgan State. They then opened SEC play with a 90-72 blowout win at Georgia as 5.5-point chalks for an 8-1 start against the college basketball gambling lines.
Brief dip
As conference play heated up, however, the Gators cooled off against the board starting with a 75-60 home win over Mississippi State as 18.5-point overlays, followed by a 69-57 home win over Auburn, again as overlays of 18-points. After an unlined home win over Savannah State, the brief dip resumed for Florida as they lost at Tennessee 76-80 as 1.5-point chalks and then lost at South Carolina 62-68 as 4-point chalks.
Back in black Florida Gators
The Gators could not be held down for long, however, as they next won at home over Vanderbilt 81-58 as 9.5-point chalks. They next scored a 69-58 win at Mississippi as 6-point chalks and followed that up with a solid 95-80 home win over Kentucky as 8-point favorites for a third straight payoff.
After a 67-71 home loss to South Carolina as 11.5-point chalks, the Gators were back in black with a 71-62 home win over LSU as 6-point favorites followed by a 73-68 win at Vanderbilt as 2.5-point chalks.
Loss of value
After that 5-1 stretch ATS, the Gators suffered a loss of value beginning with an 81-85 overtime loss at Arkansas as 2-point dogs, which was then followed by a 72-76 home loss to Tennessee as 7-point chalks. Next came a 77-82 loss at Alabama as 1.5-point chalks followed by a 77-66 home win over Georgia as 14-point overlays. The regular season ended with a 79-64 win at Kentucky as 2.5-point dogs.
Florida Gators National champs!
Florida went 3-0 SU but just 1-1-1 in the SEC tourney as they defeated South Carolina 49-47 to take the crown.
In the NCAA tourney the Gators caught fire starting with a 76-50 win over South Alabama as 8.5-point chalks. That was followed by an 82-60 win over Wisconsin-Milwaukee as 7-point favorites. In the “Sweet Sixteen” round the Gators beat Georgetown 57-53 as 2.5-point chalks, which was followed up with an “Elite Eight” 75-62 win over Villanova as 1-point dogs. The Gators made the Final Four and got SU&ATS wins over George Mason and UCLA to finish as national champs!