Charleston @ Central Florida preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 23, 2019 ) Charleston 71, Central Florida 72

Central Florida takes aim at its second win of the young season over Charleston on Sunday when the teams meet in the fifth-place game of the Wooden Legacy in Anaheim, Calif. The teams first met in Orlando on Nov. 23, when forward Collin Smith scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Knights to a 72-71 victory.

The 6-11, 240-pound Smith is averaging 14.5 points and 6.2 rebounds to lead UCF, which opened play at the Wooden Legacy with a 68-67 loss to Penn on Thursday before posting an impressive 78-65 win over Pepperdine on Friday. Junior guard Ceasar DeJesus came off the bench and scored a career-high 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting in the win over Pepperdine in a game where the Knights received more points from their reserves (40) than their starters (38). “That’s who we’ve been. Our strength is in our numbers,” UCF coach Johnny Dawkins told reporters. “Our guys understand that; I think they’re all embracing their roles. So, one guy's off, people have stepped up for us and give us a chance to be competitive.” UCF looks for another complete effort against Charleston, which bounced back from a 65-56 loss to Wake Forest by dominating the boards in Friday’s 63-55 win over Providence.

TV: 4 p.m. ET, ESPNU

ABOUT CHARLESTON (4-3): Senior guard Grant Riller scored a quiet 11 points in the team’s opening-round loss to Wake Forest but responded with 29 points, five rebounds and five assists in the win over Providence. Riller, the preseason Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year, has scored in double-figures in 35 consecutive games and averages a team-high 21 points on 51.6 percent shooting. The Cougars outrebounded Providence by 12 and received a boost from 6-8 junior Osinachi Smart, who contributed nine points and eight rebounds.

ABOUT UCF (4-2): Four players scored in double figures in the win over Pepperdine - including freshman guard Darin Green Jr., who made four 3-pointers and finished with 16 points. Green has scored in double digits in four of his first six games and ranks third on the team in scoring at 10.8 points per game while shooting 46 percent from the field. Dawkins has also been pleased by the play of senior guard Dazon Ingram, who is averaging 12 points and 6.8 rebounds.

TIP-INS

1. UCF has won five of the last seven meetings against Charleston.

2. Charleston is 39-9 when Riller scores at least 20 points.

3. The Knights have won 27 of their last 29 games when holding opponents to 65 or fewer points.

PREDICTION: UCF 67, Charleston 58