NCAAM Daily Lines - Tuesday, October 1

Point Spread: Also commonly referred to as the line or spread, a negative point spread value (-15.5) indicates that team is favored by 15.5 points. A positive value (+15.5) on its opponent means that team is the underdog by 15.5 points. Betting that favorite means the team must win by at least 16 points to cover the point spread. The underdog team can lose by 15 points and still cover the spread. When you notice a moneyline value associated with the point spread (such as -15.5, -115), that indicates how much you risk in order to place the bet. This commission is also known as the vig or juice and means you have to risk $115 to win $100. The underdog may see a value such as +15.5, +105. This means you risk $100 to win $105 if your team covers the spread.

Total: As called the over/under, it’s a number set by oddsmakers that approximates the number of points that will be scored in the game by both teams combined. So if the ‘total’ is 156.5, you can bet under the total if you think 156 or less points will be scored and over if you think 157 or more will be scored. The total is sometimes easier to predict than the point spread, depending on the weather and the teams involved.

Money Line: Commonly employed in baseball and hockey wagering, basketball moneylines have become more popular in Las Vegas in recent years. The team does not have to win by a certain number of points – it only needs to win the game. But you need to risk more to pick the favorite, since they are expected to win. The negative value still means a favorite (-220) and the positive value indicates the underdog (+200). Picture the number 100 sitting in the middle of these two values. Example: if you want to back that -220 favorite, you would risk $220 in order to win $100. On the +200 underdog, you risk $100 and win $200 if the underdog wins. It's a simple way to have the risk-reward scenario.