Duke's looming rivalry matchup will be a standout game for Cooper Flagg's lottery competition

Duke will host NC State for a highly anticipated in-state rivalry game on Monday night. It will be fans' latest opportunity to watch projected No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, who has been the best player in college basketball for a few weeks now.

It doesn't seem like any team has the personnel and scheme necessary to keep Flagg in check, but the Wolfpack are in an especially tough spot. NC State tends to rely heavily on small-ball, with the tallest players on Kevin Keatts' roster both listed at 6-foot-10 and 240 pounds (Ben Middlebrooks, Brandon Huntley-Hatfield).

Flagg, listed at 6-foot-9 and 205 pounds, tends to play with even greater physicality than his frame might suggest. He isn't the only "big" NC State will need to contend with, however, as Middlebrooks and Huntley-Hatfield will spend the majority of Monday's game battling 7-foot-2 freshman Khaman Maluach.

That leaves NC State's battalion of mid-sized wings to crowd Flagg's airspace and hope for the best. It also puts Maluach in prime position to showcase his skill set to NBA scouts. The No. 6-ranked prospect on FanSided's big board, Maluach has made the most of limited reps for the Blue Devils, steadily earning increased playing time and a more pronounced role.

Don't be shocked if NC State sets the stage for a proper coming-out party.

Khaman Maluach can stake his NBA Draft lottery claim in Duke-NC State

Middlebrooks in particular is a hard-nosed defender with some spunk, but NC State is operating at a steep athletic disadvantage in this matchup. The Wolfpack, not far removed from a magical Final Four run last season, are feeling the keen string of D.J. Burns' absence. The NC State team that eliminated Duke from the NCAA Tournament 10 months ago is not the NC State that will take the floor at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Monday. The Wolfpack are 2-6 in conference play to date. Duke is 9-0 by comparison.

Earlier this month, Maluach put together back-to-back double-doubles (19 points and 10 rebounds against Notre Dame, 12 points and 15 rebounds against Miami). The 18-year-old is coming off a rare dud against Boston College over the weekend, but this is a prime matchup for Maluach to put his worst individual performance of the season in the rearview mirror and, ideally, rekindle his upward climb on draft boards.

The Wolfpack are not a very good rebounding team. Maluach tends to excel in that department, especially on the offensive glass, where he ranks 33rd in the country in O-rebounding rate, per KenPom.

NC State will also have its hands full chasing Duke's shooters off the line. Flagg has been heating up from distance, while Kon Knueppel, Isaiah Evans, and Tyrese Proctor all pose high-volume 3-point threats. Duke will leverage its advantages on the perimeter to stretch and collapse the defense, in turn leaving Maluach plenty of lobs and simple finishes at the cup. If he's isolated on the block with a clean catch and solid position, there isn't a better finisher in the country.

Maluach is prone to his share of youthful mistakes and offensive lulls, but it's hard for 18-year-olds to anchor a defense at any level, and most of Maluach's quiet offensive performances are tied more to Duke's collective tempo and offensive flow, rather than his own shortcomings. He is scoring with historic efficiency around the cup and showcasing touch from the mid-range area, with a combination of size, fluidity, and touch the NC State frontcourt will have trouble negating.

Don't be shocked if Duke's underrated 7-foot-2 enforcer steals some of the spotlight from Flagg on primetime Monday night.