Pennsylvania @ Arizona preview

After escaping with a two-point victory over Pepperdine in the quarterfinals, No. 14 Arizona looks to remain unbeaten Friday when the Wildcats face Penn in a Wooden Legacy semifinal matchup in Anaheim, Calif. Freshman guard Nico Mannion scored with 2.4 seconds left to give Arizona a 93-91 win over the Waves on Thursday in a game that featured 13 lead changes.

Mannion finished with 16 points and 11 assists for Arizona, which is the only ranked team in the tournament field but received a surprising test from Pepperdine. Wildcats freshman Josh Green recorded a career-high 24 points while shooting 9-of-13 from the field and 4-of-5 from 3-point range, while senior Dylan Smith made four 3-pointers and finished with 16 points. The Wildcats are seeking their first early-season tournament title since winning the 2014 Maui Invitational and will need a better defensive effort Friday after allowing Pepperdine to shoot 50.8 percent from the field and 13-of-27 from beyond the arc. Arizona’s next opponent is a veteran Penn team that overcame 22 turnovers and emerged with a 68-67 victory over Central Florida on Thursday.

TV: 11:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT PENN (4-2): Senior forward AJ Brodeur had 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting and showed some surprising range with three 3-pointers in Thursday’s victory while senior guard Ryan Betley added 14 points and 10 rebounds. The Quakers also received a boost from senior guard Devon Goodman, who scored 19 points and is averaging 16 over the past four games. The Quakers, picked to finish second in the Ivy League preseason media poll, eight-man rotation includes 6-6 freshman wing Lucas Monroe, who had four points, five boards, two assists and two blocked shots in 21 minutes Thursday.

ABOUT ARIZONA (7-0): The Wildcats have been relying on three freshmen in Green, Mannion and Zeke Nnaji for much of their scoring during their hot start, but Smith provided valuable senior leadership Thursday when he scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half. The 6-11 Nnaji recorded 16 points and 11 rebounds and is averaging a team-high 19 points and 6.6 rebounds while shooting 80 percent from the field. Nnaji plays along side 6-10 senior Chase Jeter to form an imposing front line for the Wildcats, who are scoring 88.4 points per game on 53.4 percent shooting.

TIP-INS

1. The winner faces Long Beach State or Wake Forest in Sunday’s title game while the loser will play in Sunday’s third-place contest.

2. The teams are meeting for the first time since Dec. 30, 1996, when Arizona posted a 93-51 victory over the Quakers.

3. The Wildcats are 114-24 in non-conference games under coach Sean Miller.

PREDICTION: Arizona 86, Penn 72