The Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders finished the 2004-05 season with a record of 19-12 straight up, including a 7-7 mark in Sun Belt Conference action, which was good for a third place finish. The Blue Raiders finished with strength against the college basketball betting lines as they covered six of their final eight games before being bounced in the second round of the Sun Belt Conference tournament by Louisiana-Lafayette. The surge at the end gave the Blue Raiders a modest profit on the board for the season as they were 13-11-1 ATS.
Middle Tennessee Profitable start
Middle Tennessee State opened the 2005-06 season with a 60-59 home win over Utah State as 3.5-point dogs. That was then followed by a 79-85 loss at Indiana State as 2.5-point dogs.
The Blue Raiders then got back on track with an 81-71 home win over Chattanooga as 8.5-point chalks and followed that up with a 65-62 win at Portland State as 1-point dogs for a profitable start of 3-1 against the college basketball betting lines.
Still on the road out west at Utah State, Middle Tennessee State suffered a 61-79 loss as 14.5-point dogs. The Blue Raiders then took a break from the board starting with an 87-75 win at Belmont followed by a 92-48 blowout win over Freed-Hardeman.
Back on the board with a tough assignment at perennial national power Louisville, the Blue Raiders scored a 68-76 loss/cover as 15.5-point dogs and then followed that up with a 90-76 neutral court win over Florida Atlantic as 10-point chalks for a fifth payoff in seven games against the board.
Depleted value
Middle Tennessee State next hosted Austin Peay and scored a 67-83 upset loss as ten-point chalks to take the wind out of their sails and begin a stretch against the board in which they proved to be a depleted value.
After a 67-57 bounceback win at Tennessee State in a pick’em affair, the Blue Raiders scored a 50-83 blowout loss to powerhouse Memphis as helpless 19-point road dogs. The Blue Raiders problems continued with an ugly 48-80 loss at Western Kentucky as 8.5-point dogs. The red ink bleeding stopped temporarily with a 77-68 win over Arkansas State as 6.5-point dogs.
But Middle Tennessee State was unable to sustain momentum as they next lost at home to Arkansas-Little Rock 66-68 as 7-point chalks. That was then followed by a 63-75 loss at South Alabama as 6.5-point dogs and then a 57-70 loss at troy as 4-point dogs as the Blue Raiders completed a 2-6 run against the board.
Middle Tennessee Cash machine
There are few things less appealing to college basketball gamblers than a Sun Belt level team that cannot get the cash, which was the status of Middle Tennessee State as they headed down the stretch drive. This lack of public appeal, as it turned out, would enhance their board value and transform them into a cash machine, starting with an 86-65 home win over New Orleans as 9-point chalks. That was next followed by a 73-59 home win over Louisiana-Lafayette as 6-point chalks. Next came a 66-64 win at Florida International as 1.5-point chalks followed by a 62-60 win at North Texas as 1.5-point dogs for a fourth consecutive payoff.
Middle Tennessee State next hosted Denver and scored a 62-72 upset loss as 6-point chalks, which was then followed by an 89-82 overtime home win over South Dakota State for a brief pause in the payoffs.
Back on the board at Arkansas State, the Blue Raiders scored a 74-75 loss/cover as 3-point dogs. That was then followed by a 68-58 win at Arkansas-Little Rock as 3.5-point dogs. Next came an 80-74 home win over Western Kentucky as 2-point dogs, which was followed by an 82-58 home win over Florida International as 9.5-point chalks as the Blue Raiders finished the regular season with a eight payoffs in nine games. They then lost SU&ATS to Denver in the conference tourney.