2005 Season Summary Troy Trojans
The Troy Trojans were not only a new member of the Sun Belt Conference for the 2005-06 season but something of a virtual college basketball expansion team as they were rarely on the board in 2004-05, going 0-3-1 against the spread in their final season as a non-regular part of the college basketball gambling rotation.
Low expectations meant potential board value
So Troy entered the 2005-06 season as one of the most anonymous teams on the board as they were a new member of a mid-major conference that didn’t attract much attention from fans or gamblers in the first place. And as a new team both in the Sun Belt and on the regular rotation the Troy Trojans would have very low expectations from the college basketball gambling community. Those low expectations meant potential board value, however, as nobody would be expecting Troy to be a contender on the court or a cash machine on the boards.
Starting off in familiar territory Troy Trojans
Troy Trojans would be starting off in familiar territory for the open of the 2005-06 season, which meant off the board. Their season began with an unlined neutral court 94-83 overtime win over Quinnipiac. That was then followed by a 71-73 unlined loss at Columbia. Next came the home opener and a 111-72 unlined blowout triumph over Oakwood. Next came a 68-71 loss at Southeastern-Louisiana, which was then followed by an 87-66 home win over Stillman as the Trojans began the season with a 3-2 mark straight up as they headed off to the board.
Value-added team
Troy’s lined opener was at Mississippi State of the Southeastern Conference and they scored a 77-88 overtime loss/cover as 12.5-point dogs. They then went back off the board for a game at home against Alabama State, which they won 71-53. Back on the board at home against Bowling Green, the Trojans lost 52-60 as 6.5-point chalks. But from that point on, Troy would prove themselves to be a value-added team.
The Trojans embarked on a three-game-road trip with a 54-78 loss/cover at Xavier as 24.5-point bargain dogs. That was followed by a 78-72 win at Duquesne as 4.5-point dogs. Next came an 87-71 neutral court win over Niagara as 6-point pups for a third consecutive payoff and fourth overall in five games.
After an unlined 95-51 blowout home win over Belhaven, the Trojans scored an 84-88 loss at South Alabama as 10-point dogs. There was a brief pause in the profits in a 75-79 loss at New Orleans as 3.5-point dogs but the Trojans quickly got back into the black with a 73-50 win at Louisiana-Lafayette as 10-point bargain dogs.
Back home against Western Kentucky, the Trojans scored a 76-49 blowout upset win as 5.5-point home dogs and followed that up with a 70-57 home win over Middle Tennessee State as 4-point chalks for a third consecutive cover to end a stretch in which the Trojans went 8-2 against the college basketball gambling lines.
Market crash
The Trojans were no longer as anonymous as they were to begin the season as gamblers always notice the teams that bring home the bacon. Troy was about to suffer a market crash as a result of their early success as both the college basketball oddsmakers and their on-court opponents would be granting them more respect.
Troy’s problems began with a 77-84 loss at North Texas as 3.5-point dogs. That was followed by a 61-69 loss at Denver as 6.5-point dogs. Next came a 68-91 blowout loss at Arkansas State, which was then followed by a 66-73 home loss to Arkansas-Little Rock. Troy then failed to cover a home win over New Orleans 62-58 as 7.5-point chalks for a fifth straight loss against the board.
After a 75-73 overtime home win over Louisiana-Lafayette as 1-point chalks, the Trojans finished the regular season with a 1-3 mark both SU&ATS. In the Sun Belt Conference tournament, the Trojans went 1-1 SU and 2-0 ATS.