Central Florida @ West Virginia preview

West Virginia received a wake-up call in the first round and should be focused when it takes on unbeaten Central Florida in the semifinals of the AdvoCare Invitational Friday at Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The No. 20 Mountaineers saw their 15-point lead in the second half evaporate before outlasting winless Marist 84-78 on Thursday for their fourth consecutive victory after losing to Texas A&M in the season opener.

“(Marist) did a great job, they really did,” West Virginia coach Bob Huggins told reporters. “They changed defenses on us, but we rely so much on making 3s that we never threw the ball inside.” The Mountaineers should get a stiff challenge from UCF, which made the short ride from its campus to defeat Nebraska 68-59 in the first round Thursday while holding the Cornhuskers to 25 percent shooting in the first half. “I thought we played terrific defense most of the night, and that gave us a chance to win the game,” Knights coach Johnny Dawkins told reporters. “I was really proud of our guys’ effort, especially on the defensive end, and we beat a good basketball team.” UCF has gotten a boost from 7-6 junior Tacko Fall, who blocked four shots Thursday while adding 11 points and eight rebounds.

TV: 5 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT UCF (4-0): The Knights are without All-American Athletic Conference preseason pick B.J. Taylor (broken foot), but Fall’s presence has made a difference in two games since returning from a hip injury (12.0 points, 7.5 rebounds). Freshman Ceasar DeJesus continues to make a major impact, averaging 12.5 points after scoring 15 on 6-of-10 shooting from the field against Nebraska. Senior forward A.J Davis has been UCF’s most versatile player in the early going while averaging 12.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 blocks.

ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA (4-1): The Mountaineers shot only 35.1 percent from the field and missed 30 of their 38 attempts from 3-point range, but forced 24 turnovers with their relentless defensive pressure Thursday. Jevon Carter came through to score 20 in the first-round win and averages a team-high 16.4 points and 6.0 assists while fellow senior guard Daxter Miles Jr. is next at 14.2, but is just 6-for-20 from the field the last two games. Sophomore forward Sagaba Konate (11.5 points, 7.0 rebounds) continues to make a major impact while draining 19-of-27 from the field.

TIP-INS

1. The Knights are allowing teams to shoot only 36.5 percent from the field in the first four games and boast a plus-7.3 rebound margin.

2. West Virginia sophomore G Chase Harler was 2-for-6 from 3-point range Thursday, but made two after the game was tied at 67.

3. UCF sophomore G Chance McSpadden was 13-for-21 in the first and third games of the season and 2-for-12 in the second and fourth.

PREDICTION: West Virginia 78, Central Florida 72