The Mississippi Rebels had a poor 2004-05 season in which they finished 14-17 straight up, which included a Southeastern Conference record of 4-12, placing them in the cellar of the SEC West Division. The Rebels were also losers at the sportsbook with a mark of 13-14 against the spread. Ole Miss failed to cover ten of their final sixteen games against the board in the regular season before getting a pointspread split in the SEC tourney.
Low expectations
The Rebels poor season certainly did nothing to attract gamblers to them at the beginning of the 2005-06 campaign and, in fact, as the rest of the conference seemed to be improving Mississippi Rebels was suffering from low expectations which had the potential of enhancing their overall board value if they could simply out perform what was predicted for them on the court.
Slow Start Mississippi Rebels
Ole Miss opened the 2005-06 season with an unlined neutral court win over Southern Utah 69-62. That was then followed by a most revealing as well as alarming 42-95 win at New Mexico as 5-point dogs.
Ole Miss then went back off the board for three straight games starting with a 71-47 win over South Carolina State on a neutral court. That was followed by a 107-67 home win over Centenary and then a 59-43 home win over Louisiana Monroe.
Back on the board at Illinois-Chicago, the Rebels scored a 75-87 overtime loss as 4-point dogs. The bleeding then stopped temporarily with a 77-64 home win over Saint Louis as 4.5-point chalks, which was followed by an unlined 69-43 win over Nicholls State.
The Rebels then resumed their slow start against the board with a 49-72 blowout home loss to Memphis as 8.5-point dogs. That was followed by an 85-78 home win over Arkansas State as 9.5-point chalks Mississippi Rebels.
Ole Miss then scored a pair of unlined home wins over Southeastern Louisiana 68-62 and then Alcorn State 82-69. They then failed to cover a 65-59 home win over Western Carolina as 13-point chalks to complete a 1-5 mark ATS as they entered SEC play.
Bargain run Mississippi Rebels
Mississippi Rebels opened SEC play with a 71-61 win at Alabama as 12-point dogs to launch a bargain run against the board. That was then followed by a 68-63 home win over South Carolina as 2.5-point dogs. Next came a 75-65 win over arch-rival Mississippi State as 4.5-point chalks for a third consecutive payoff. The streak then halted with a 65-72 loss at Georgia as 6-point dogs followed by a 58-71 loss/push at Arkansas as 13-point dogs. Ole Miss then scored a 73-79 loss/cover at home against LSU as 7.5-point dogs to complete a 4-1-1 stretch ATS.
Free fall Mississippi Rebels
Little did anyone realize that the Rebels had just completed their high water mark of the season against the board as beginning with a 58-69 home loss as 6-point dogs to eventual national champion Florida they would start a free fall.
In their next game at Tennessee, the Rebels lost 72-86 as 13-point dogs. That was followed by a 50-58 loss at Auburn as 2.5-point dogs. Next came a 50-64 home loss to Alabama as a 1-point dog. The fall was broken for a moment with a 73-70 home win over Arkansas as 4.5-point dogs but resumed with a 55-84 blowout loss at Mississippi Rebels as 3-point dogs for an embarrassing defeat.
The fall continued with a 40-80 disgrace at Kentucky as 13.5-point dogs. That was then followed by a 54-58 home loss to Auburn as 5-point chalks and then a 62-77 loss at Vanderbilt as 4-point dogs to complete a stretch in which they went 1-8 against the spread.
The regular season ended with a 52-55 win at Louisiana State as 16-point bargain dogs and then a 57-71 loss to Kentucky as 11-point dogs in the first round of the SEC tourney.