Monday, November 23rd, 3:00 p.m. (et)

FACTS & STATS: Site: Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) -- Lahaina, Hawaii. Television: ESPN2. Home Record: Colorado 3-0, Gonzaga 2-0. Away Record: Colorado 0-0, Gonzaga 0-1. Neutral Record: Colorado 0-0, Gonzaga 0-0. Conference Record: Colorado 0-0, Gonzaga 0-0. Series Record: Colorado leads, 1-0.

GAME NOTES: The Maui Invitational kicks off today, with the Colorado Buffaloes taking on the Gonzaga Bulldogs in first-round action at the Lahaina Civic Center. The winner of this game will move on to face either Arizona or Wisconsin in the winner's bracket on Tuesday.

The Buffs are off to a promising start, as they have won their initial three games for the first time since the 2001-02 campaign. They haven't exactly played the stiffest of competition, but it is still an encouraging beginning for a club that went just 9-22 a season ago. In the team's most recent game, Colorado posted an 88-77 victory over Texas Southern on Wednesday.

As for the Bulldogs, they have won two games sandwiched around a narrow loss to highly-ranked Michigan State (75-71). The team played its final tuneup for this tourney on Friday, trouncing IPFW by a 90-55 score. This is Gonzaga's third appearance in the Maui Invitational, where it has gone a level 3-3, including a championship game appearance in 2005.

Gonzaga and Colorado have met just once before and that encounter also took place in Hawaii. The Buffs came away with an 81-77 victory on the final day of the 1999 Rainbow Classic in Honolulu.

In their most recent game, the Buffs shot an unconscious 60.8 percent from the floor and they defeated Texas Southern, 88-77, on Wednesday. Colorado also went an effective 6-of-11 from long range and 20-of-27 at the charity stripe. Alec Burks and Cory Higgins did most of the damage for Colorado, as they tallied 23 points apiece and combined for 10 rebounds. Both players are off to a good start, with Higgins averaging a team-high 23.3 ppg and Burks checking with 18.0 ppg.

Gonzaga shot a blistering 62.7 percent from the field, including an 8-of-16 effort from three-point range, as it raced past IPFW on Friday. The Bulldogs won the battle on the boards, 49-35, and scored 26 points of 17 IPFW turnovers. Matt Bouldin and Robert Sacre reach scored 15 points and combined for 13 boards to lead the way, while Demetri Goodson had 14 points and four steals. After three games, Bouldin tops the roster in scoring at 17.3 ppg and Sacre is next in order at 16.3 ppg for a team that is netting a hardy 84.3 ppg.

Colorado is off to a good start, but it has yet to face a team like Gonzaga. The Bulldogs are talented and deep and should have their way with the Buffs today.

Predicted Outcome

Gonzaga 82, Colorado 67