Duke Blue Devils vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish Odds, College Basketball Pick

The 17th-ranked Duke Blue Devils (16-5) continue a challenging stretch without head coach Mike Krzyzewski when they visit the 14th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish (17-5) on Monday in a pick'em ACC matchup.

The Blue Devils won for just the third time in six games without Coach K on Saturday, edging the Wake Forest Demon Deacons 85-83 on a late three-pointer by Luke Kennard.

Point spread: This game opened as a pick'em; the total is at 154.5, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark (line updates and matchup report)

College basketball pick, via OddsShark computer: 75-74 Fighting Irish (college basketball picks on every game)

Why the Blue Devils can cover the spread

Kennard has been Duke's best player this season and proved it again at Wake Forest, scoring 30 of his game-high 34 points in the second half and making 11 of 14 shots from the field, including six of six from three-point range.

The Blue Devils were lucky to beat the Demon Deacons but could be turning a corner with Coach K set to return soon. This could be associate head coach Jeff Capel's last game at the helm, and several big games remain ahead on the schedule, so buying in on this team now is a good move.

Why the Fighting Irish can cover the spread

This is a huge game for the Fighting Irish following consecutive losses to the Virginia Cavaliers and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. They have lost three of four as well since a seven-game winning streak and have to face the North Carolina Tar Heels and Florida State Seminoles in two of their next three games.

Notre Dame has enjoyed a lot of recent success against Duke too, winning five of the past six meetings straight up and covering six of seven at sports betting sites, according to the OddsShark College Basketball Database.

Smart pick

The Fighting Irish have succeeded in this series even with Coach K on the bench for the Blue Devils, so there's no reason to think they will struggle in this spot despite losing their last two games.

The race for the ACC regular-season crown is wide-open, and Notre Dame has as good a chance as any of the top teams to win it. However, this is a must-win game for that to happen, so expect the Irish to play their best.

Betting trends

Duke is 1-5 against the spread in its last six games.

Notre Dame is 6-2 ATS in its last eight games.

The total has gone over in seven of Duke's last eight games.

All college basketball lines and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.