Central Florida @ Pepperdine preview

Central Florida nearly rallied into the Wooden Legacy tournament semifinals but must settle for a trip into the consolation bracket when it meets equally disappointed Pepperdine on Friday in Anaheim, Calif. Knights freshman guard Darin Green Jr. made a bucket from the corner at the regulation buzzer that was originally called a game-tying 3-pointer but replays confirmed his foot was on the line, leaving UCF with a 68-67 loss to Pennsylvania on Thursday.

"I think they just made one more play than we made at the end of the day," Knights coach Johnny Dawkins told reporters. "... I was proud of our guys, considering we didn't have a great shooting night (32.4 percent from the field), we still gave ourselves a chance to be in a game like this and had a chance to win." The Waves nearly stunned No. 14 Arizona on Thursday but Nico Mannion's bucket with less than three seconds left sealed their fate. Pepperdine's Edwards brothers - senior forward Kameron and sophomore forward Kessler - made life difficult for the Wildcats with a combined for 36 points and two steals apiece. Central Florida junior forward Collin Smith averages team highs of 17 points and 6.8 rebounds after scoring 22 - his second straight game with 20 or more - and grabbing a season-high 12 boards against Penn.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPNews

ABOUT CENTRAL FLORIDA (3-2): Senior guard Dazon Ingram on Thursday had 17 points, 13 rebounds and five assists - all season highs - for his double-double as a Knight after recording five over the previous three seasons with Alabama. Green (9.8 points per game) scored 11 versus Penn for his third double-figure contest. Smith was 7-for-18 from the field Thursday - the first time he was less than 50 percent in a game this season - after scoring 23 on 7-for-12 shooting in a 72-71 victory over College of Charleston on Saturday.

ABOUT PEPPERDINE (3-4): The Edwards account for 47.2 percent of the Waves' points this season but got help from Colbey Ross and Skylar Chavez against Arizona. The junior guards scored 20 apiece, lowering Ross' team-high average to 20.6 and raising Chavez' to 11.1. Junior guard Jade' Smith had 15 points Thursday, completing a starting lineup led by Kameron's 21 that accounted for all the points.

TIP-INS

1. The Knights score 14.4 points per game off turnovers while their opponents average the same.

2. The four Pepperdine reserves were 0-for-4 from the field in Thursday's loss.

3. Providence and College of Charleston reside in the other side of the consolation bracket and will provide Sunday's competition.

PREDICTION: Pepperdine 83, Central Florida 71