Providence @ Pepperdine preview

Disneyland’s shadow hovers over this week’s Wooden Legacy in Anaheim, Calif., but the tournament has been anything but magical for Providence. The Friars look to salvage the trip with a victory on Sunday against Pepperdine in the seventh-place matchup.

Providence has lost its first two Wooden Legacy games despite leading at halftime in both matchups, starting with Thursday’s 66-65 loss to Long Beach State and continuing with Friday’s 63-55 loss to Charleston. Sophomore guard David Duke scored a career-high 22 points against Charleston, but the Friars were dominated on the boards and outscored by 10 in the second half. “I can’t be more disappointed with what I’ve seen the last three games from my team, and that all starts with me,” coach Ed Cooley told reporters. “It’s clear that I’m not connected to this group yet, for whatever reason. It’s totally disappointing for me to see us getting beat to a loose ball, and not rebounding the ball the way we’re capable of. We have a ways to go in order to get to where we’re trying to go.” The Friars figure to be tested by Pepperdine, which gave Arizona a scare in Thursday’s 93-91 loss before falling 78-65 to Central Florida on Friday.

TV: 6 p.m. ET, ESPNU

ABOUT PROVIDENCE (4-4): Duke averages 13.3 points and 4.5 assists and emerged from a shooting slump by making seven of eight shots in Friday’s contest to lead the Friars, who are allowing 61.5 points per game. The team’s veteran backcourt includes senior Alpha Diallo, who has three double-doubles this season and averages 13.3 points and 8.9 rebounds. Cooley has been encouraged by the play of forward Emmitt Holt, who missed most of the past two seasons due to injury but averaged 9.5 points while starting the last two games.

ABOUT PEPPERDINE (3-5): After shooting a season-high 50.8 percent from the field in Thursday’s loss to Arizona, the Waves shot 40.4 percent and just 5-of-24 from 3-point range in the loss to UCF. Point guard Colbey Ross averages 19 points and 7.9 assists but was held to a season-low eight points on 2-of-10 shooting in 38 minutes against UCF. Forward Kessler Edwards recorded 21 points and six rebounds against the Knights, while Kameron Edwards was limited to 25 minutes due to a bloody nose and finished with 12 points and four rebounds.

TIP-INS

1. Sunday's game marks the first meeting all-time between Providence and Pepperdine.

2. Pepperdine is shooting a Division I-best 86.9 percent from the foul line compared to 66.3 for Providence.

3. The Friars have lost three consecutive non-conference games for the first time since the 2014-15 season.

PREDICTION: Pepperdine 79, Providence 75