Duke Blue Devils vs. Kansas Jayhawks Odds, Analysis, March Madness Betting Pick

It's a battle of college basketball blue bloods with a Final Four berth on the line when Duke meets Kansas in the Midwest regional final of the NCAA tournament on Sunday afternoon in Omaha, Nebraska.

The Blue Devils are short favorites on the betting line, but are they the smart bet?

March Madness point spread: The Blue Devils opened as four-point favorites; the total is at 155, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)

March Madness betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 76.4-72.1, Blue Devils (March Madness picks on every game)

Check out the OddsShark podcast on iTunes or at OddsShark.libsyn.com for more odds information, betting picks and a breakdown of this week’s top sports betting news.

Why Duke can cover the spread

The Blue Devils reached Sunday's action by holding off a hot Syracuse outfit 69-65 Friday night. Duke closed the first half with a 10-0 run to lead 34-27 into the locker room and never trailed after that.

The Blue Devils let the Orange get within a bucket with just under a minute to go but secured the victory by hitting four of five from the line.

Duke only shot 39.3 percent from the floor but made 20 of 28 free throws and won the turnover battle 16-7.

The Blue Devils opened this Big Dance with an 89-67 win over Iona, covering a 20-point spread, then bombed Rhode Island 87-62, covering a nine-point line.

Duke is now 12-5 SU and 10-7 ATS this season against teams that made the NCAA tournament.

Why Kansas can cover the spread

The Jayhawks are back in a regional final for the third straight year, following their 80-76 win over Clemson on Friday night.

Kansas spurted to a 13-point halftime lead and pushed that advantage to 20 with 12 minutes to go.

Unfortunately, the Jayhawks then took their foot off the gas and allowed the Tigers to rally to within a couple of buckets in the final minute, ultimately missing the cover as five-point favorites.

Kansas shot 46.7 percent from the field and hit 10 of 22 from three-point land while holding Clemson to 43.1 percent field goal shooting. The Jayhawks are now 26 for 60 (43 percent) shooting three-pointers in this tournament.

Kansas opened the tournament with a 76-60 victory over Penn, then beat Seton Hall 83-79. The Jayhawks covered as 13-point favorites against the Quakers then missed the cover as five-point favorites when the Pirates tossed in a meaningless three-pointer in the final seconds.

Kansas is 21-3 SU and 14-9-1 ATS this season against teams that made the NCAA tournament.

Smart betting pick

This game could well go down to the final minute, and in cases like this, it's always better to take points than to give them. Smart money takes the Jayhawks.

March Madness betting trends

The total has gone under in four of Duke's last five games against Kansas.

The total has gone under in eight of Kansas' last 10 games as an underdog.

Duke is 10-2 SU and 9-3 ATS in its last 12 games as a favorite.

All college basketball odds and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. Check out OddsShark on Twitter and Instagram or head to YouTube for more betting picks and analysis on this week's top games. You can also download the free odds tracker app.