The Richmond Spiders were coming off a 2004-05 season in which they went just 14-15 straight up and 11-16-2 against the spread. Worse yet, the Spiders showed little sign of being able to improve upon that performance as they entered the 2005-06 campaign. The Atlantic 10 Conference had expanded with new and better teams and Richmond Spiders had not demonstrated the ability to keep up in the stronger circuit. With such a poor record against the points from 2004-05 and with limited prospects the Spiders offered very little appeal to gamblers.
Nothing noticeable
Richmond Spiders opened the 2005-06 season with an unlined home win over Hampton. This was followed by a 43-59 loss to Virginia as 3.5-home dogs, a strong indicator that Richmond would be in serious trouble for the season as the Cavaliers were rebuilding. Richmond next scored another unlined home win over McNeese State.
At home against Seton Hall as a 1-point dog, the Spiders scored an impressive 60-49 win that was hoped would catapult them into some type of momentum before conference play began. Those dreams were quickly shattered in their very next game, however, which was a 37-56 loss to anonymous Arkansas State on a neutral court as 2-point chalks. Another unlined win over Prairie View A&M followed.
Richmond next traveled to highly regarded Louisville as a whopping 18.5-point dog and got the cash in a 45-53 loss. Just when a gambler might have started believing in the Spiders they went right back into the tank at Virginia Commonwealth as 9-point dogs in a 37-49 loss. This was followed up with a 61-58 overtime win over Old Dominion as a 7.5-point home dog. At this point Richmond was 3-3 against the spread and doing nothing noticeable either way to attract attention from gamblers.
Richmond Spiders Free fall
Richmond hosted Wake forest as a 5.5-point home dog and lost 40-47 to begin a quick free fall against the pointspread. They next lost in a very weak performance at Tulane 41-64 as 1-point chalks. This was followed by a 52-50 win over William and Mary as a 7.5-point home overlay.
After an unlined win over Longwood the Spiders began A10 play at home against La Salle and lost 56-67 in a pick’em affair for their fourth straight defeat against the pointspread.
Brief bargains
Richmond’s woes against the betting boards and generally poor reputation amongst gamblers transformed them into brief bargains. They first won at Duquesne 62-48 as cheap 3-point chalks versus the worst team in the league. They next were 1-point home dogs against Dayton and scored a 58-50 win and cover. That was followed by a 65-54 win over Saint Louis as 1-point home chalks for a third straight cover. Richmond was next clobbered at Rhode Island 46-58 as 5-point dogs but responded with a 63-56 home win over Charlotte as 2-point dogs for a fourth payoff in five games.
Colossal collapse Richmond Spiders
Richmond was a game under break even against the sportsbooks as they traveled to Fordham where they were blown off the court in a 45-63 loss as 4.5-point dogs. This loss was the beginning of a colossal collapse for Richmond. They next lost 55-80 at George Washington as 15.5-point dogs for their second straight ugly defeat.
Things did not improve at home in a 51-63 loss to Xavier as 6.5-point dogs. Things continued to worsen with an ugly 57-71 loss at weak St. Bonaventure, as the Spiders were 2.5-point chalks. The red ink continued to flow with a 47-64 loss at Charlotte, who was an 11.5-point chalk. Things became downright hopeless with a 51-64 home loss to George Washington as the Spiders were hefty 9.5-point home pups and still couldn’t get the cash.
A disgraceful 30-69 loss at Temple as 14-point dogs followed. A repeat disgrace followed in a 39-70 loss at Saint Joseph’s as 13-point dogs. Out of nowhere Richmond scored an 81-66 home win over Massachusetts as 3.5-point dogs and then the Spiders scored a 65-64 home win over St. Bonaventure as 7.5-point overlays. Richmond had a quick exit in the A10 tourney with a 37-45 loss to Fordham as 5.5-point dogs.