After trailing for nearly the entire game, and by as many as 10 with less than four minutes left, Duke stole an 85-83 win from Wake Forest on Saturday in front of the Demon Deacons' largest home crowd since 2009.

It was more Luke (Kennard) than luck, but that doesn't mean that Duke isn't lucky to be heading into Monday night's game at Notre Dame at 4-4 in the ACC, as opposed to 3-5. Kennard had 30 of his game-high 34 points in the second half, taking over the offensive responsibility to help Duke avoid a potentially disastrous 0-2 week against in-state foes.

NC State and Wake Forest were supposed to be the more manageable games in this late January stretch for the Blue Devils, a way to prepare for the Irish and upcoming clashes with Notre Dame and Virginia. A way to stack up some conference wins and avoid any further sliding in the ACC standings.

Notre Dame has had Duke's number in recent seasons, winning in Cameron Indoor Stadium last January and then bouncing the Devils from the ACC Tournament in Washington, D.C. last March. But Duke's also starting to find itself during these ACC tests, and while Grayson Allen is getting all the headlines (still) there are other players that have proven to be more important to the team's success.

A few things to know heading into Monday's game:

This is Luke Kennard's team now

Matt Norlander touched on this after Duke's win on Saturday, but Kennard is the team's MVP. Allen has been the lightning rod for controversy and both Harry Giles and Jayson Tatum are more intriguing for the NBA crowd, but with March inching closer the team's on-court identity needs to be defined if they are going to go on a run. That's an offense that's running through Kennard, the star of the offense in the season's first 10 games and the star on Saturday when Duke needed a hero.

One-and-done vs. "Get old and stay old"

Notre Dame coach Mike Brey has made the Irish a force in the modern, expanded ACC with a system that reverses the trend of relying on young talent. Brey likes to "get old and stay old," which results in players getting a few years in the program before taking over primary roles. Jerian Grant, Pat Connaughton, Demetrius Jackson and Zach Auguste all produced at a high level once they arrived to that position of being a veteran leader, and now that's fallen to junior Bonzie Colson (a double-double machine down low), V.J. Beachem and Steve Vasturia.

That experience in the system is what powers Notre Dame's patient and efficient offensive sets, working the ball around precise passing to find the absolute best shot on the floor. However, that offense has been sputtering a bit as of late. After a blistering start to ACC play Notre Dame has lost three of its last four, including a buzzer-beating defeat to Georgia Tech over the weekend. Though the Irsh still have a top-20 offensive rating on the season, they have been under one point per possession in the last two games.

Beware of the tournament talk

Duke isn't close to missing the NCAA Tournament yet, but the final piece of this wild and twisting 2017 narrative will be where they fall in the field of 68. The program already owns that national spotlight, but when preseason No. 1 potential still hasn't been realized -- and probably won't given the expectations -- every college basketball fan tunes in to see how this story ends. Jerry Palm currently has Duke slotted as a No. 6 seed, but a few quality wins (like the opportunity they'll have on Monday night at Notre Dame) could quickly change their tournament profile.

Searching for consistency

Duke's got Pittsburgh and Clemson at home, but the upcoming stretch of games also includes North Carolina and Virginia. This is a team that will be flirting with a .500 finish in conference play, depending on a few bounces or potential changes in the current performance. The lineup, coach not included, is as collectively healthy as its been for most of the season, but there's still that lack of consistency on a game-to-game or even half-to-half basis.

"We haven't been able to put 40 minutes [together]," Jeff Capel told WRAL this week. "Against Miami we played very well for 20 minutes, but we haven't been able to do it for 40 minutes."

A full 40 minutes with this roster is good enough to beat Notre Dame, along with any of the other top teams in the ACC. Getting that consistency out is the defining challenge of the 2017 ACC season for Capel and the coaching staff.

Coaching edge: Irish

Krzyzewski, who Capel says is "doing well," is still watching tape and relaying his opinions to the team. He's absolutely involved behind the scenes, but his absence from the bench during this unexpected slide if felt. A coaching staff of Krzyzewski products is working with this talented team to improve, but as soon as a Coach K motivational punishment story gets leaked the attention is right back to his absence. Brey is a former Duke assistant with two national championships as a Coach K assistant with five wins in his last six games against the Blue Devils. It's the worst possible matchup for Duke, getting exposed defensively by Notre Dame's floor ballet.

Capel was savvy to know that he needed the defensive edge coming out of halftime against Miami, putting five on the floor that would spurt a 22-1 run coming out of the break. This is a huge spot for the Blue Devils and a chance to improve with a win on the road against a quality ACC opponent. It's also a sweet spot for Brey the new Gary Williams of the Tobacco Road, and a chance to build Notre Dame's tournament resume.