Wednesday, November 25th, 10:00 p.m. (et)

FACTS & STATS: Site: Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) -- Lahaina, Hawaii. Television: ESPN. Home Record: Cincinnati 2-0, Gonzaga 2-0. Away Record: Cincinnati 0-1, Gonzaga 0-0. Neutral Record: Cincinnati 2-0, Gonzaga 2-0. Conference Record: Cincinnati 0-0, Gonzaga 0-0. Series Record: Tied, 1-1.

GAME NOTES: The Maui Invitational title is on the line tonight, as the Cincinnati Bearcats clash with the Gonzaga Bulldogs at the Lahaina Civic Center.

The Bearcats enter the tilt fresh off another upset, as they knocked off 21st- ranked Maryland, 69-57, on Tuesday to advance to the championship game in their first appearance in this tournament. Cincinnati opened tourney play with a 67-58 besting of 24th-ranked Vanderbilt on Monday, giving it back-to-back wins over ranked opponents for the first time since 1999.

As for the Bulldogs, this is their third appearance in this tournament and their second straight championship game showing. Gonzaga rallied for 76-72 win in the first round against Colorado on Monday before handling Wisconsin, 74-61, in the semifinals last night. The Bulldogs are hoping for a better fate than in their last title game appearance, when they lost to UConn, 65-63, for 2005 championship.

The all-time series between Gonzaga and Cincinnati is knotted at 1-1, with the Bulldogs taking the last meeting, 74-69, back in 2003.

The Bearcats shot 44.3 percent from the field and held Maryland to just a 35.8 percent performance, as they came away with a 69-57 win in the semifinals on Tuesday. Cincinnati also did a nice job following up any missed shots, dominating Maryland on the boards, 47-33. Yancy Gates recorded his second straight double-double in this tourney with 17 points and 13 rebounds, while Deonta Vaughn added 16 points and five assists. The duo are both averaging 13.0 ppg for the season, with Gates also ripping down 9.0 rpg and Vaughn distributing 4.8 apg.

The Bulldogs dropped in 47.2 percent of their attempts from the field and 21- of-25 at the foul line, as they raced past Wisconsin, 74-61, in semifinal action on Tuesday. Gonzaga won the battle on the boards, 38-31, while also outscoring the Badgers in the paint by a decisive 42-18 margin. Matt Bouldin led the charge with an all-around effort of 18 points, six boards and five helpers. Steven Gray contributed 15 points, and Robert Sacre finished with 13 and six rebounds. After five games, Bouldin tops the roster in scoring at 18.2 ppg and he has also gotten his teammates involved, handing out 4.2 apg.

Both these teams are playing well right now, but go with the Bulldogs, as they have more offensive weapons.

Predicted Outcome

Gonzaga 70, Cincinnati 66