BUFFALO BULLS

Record: 5-4

Conference: Mid-American.

Head coach: Reggie Witherspoon (110-163, 10th season at BU).

Rainbow Classic experience: First appearance.

Players to watch: Rodney Pierce (6-2, 195, Jr., G) is averaging 17.1 points per game and leads the team with 18 3-pointers. He scored 28 in a 68-64 loss against No. 2-ranked Connecticut on Dec. 4. ... Calvin Betts (6-3, 225, Jr., G/F)) is averaging 10.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. He has a .536 percentage (15 of 28) from 3-point range. ... Greg Gamble (6-4, 200, Sr., G) is averaging 10.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. He is in his fourth year as a starter.

Notes: The Bulls are coming off a 71-60 road loss at Siena on Tuesday. ... No. 2-ranked Connecticut defeated Buffalo, 68-64, on Dec. 4. The Bulls had possession of the ball in the closing seconds down by two points, but could not score. ... Buffalo ranks among the top 10 teams in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage at .400.

COLORADO BUFFALOES

Record: 6-3.

Conference: Big 12.

Head coach: Jeff Bzdelik (18-23, 2nd season at CU).

Rainbow Classic experience: Second appearance. Placed third in 1999.

Players to watch: Cory Higgins (6-5, 185, So., G) is averaging 17.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. He scored 33 points in a victory over Colorado State on Dec. 10. He is the son of former NBA player Rod Higgins, who is now the general manager for the Charlotte Bobcats. ... Dwight Thorne II (6-2, 185, Jr., G) is averaging 12.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, and has a .557 field goal percentage. ... Austin Dufault (6-8, 210, Fr., F) is averaging 11.1 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.

Notes: The Buffaloes have played just one road game this season, a 76-62 loss at Stanford. It was the only time this season that Colorado has allowed an opponent to score more than 62 points. ... Colorado has made at least one 3-pointer in 204 consecutive games, a streak dating to 2002. ... The Buffs will play in the 2009 Maui Invitational.

COLORADO STATE RAMS

Record: 3-8.

Conference: Mountain West.

Head coach: Tim Miles (10-33, 2nd season at CSU).

Rainbow Classic experience: Third appearance. Placed seventh in 1972, and second in 2005.

Players to watch: Marcus Walker (6-0, 175, Sr., G) is averaging 15.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. He scored 31 points in a victory over Northern Colorado on Nov. 18. ... Andy Ogide (6-9, 245, So., F) is averaging 12.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, and leads the team with a .558 field goal percentage. ... Andre McFarland (6-6, 225, So., F) is averaging 10.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game and leads the team with 23 3-pointers. He has a .511 percentage from 3-point range.

Notes: The Rams will bring a six-game losing streak to Honolulu, including a 0-4 record in road games. ... Colorado State had a 7-25 record last season, including 0-16 in the Mountain West Conference. ... The Rams won the Pearl Harbor Classic in 1999. That tournament, which no longer exists, was hosted by BYU-Hawai'i.

COPPIN STATE EAGLES

Record: 1-8.

Conference: Mid-Eastern Athletic.

Head coach: Ron "Fang" Mitchell (359-400, 23rd season at CSU).

Rainbow Classic experience: First appearance.

Players to watch: Tywain McKee (6-2, 182, Sr., G) is averaging 20.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He leads the team in all three categories. He has scored in double-figures in every game this season, including five games of 20 or more points. He also leads the team with 3.0 steals per game. ... Jordan Lee (6-3, 180, Fr., G) is averaging 9.9 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. ... Vince Goldsberry (6-0, 175, So., G) is averaging 7.0 points per game and has a .882 free throw percentage.

Notes: The Eagles have played one of the toughest schedules in the country. They have lost road games at Purdue, at Kansas, at Dayton, at Syracuse and at Wisconsin. ... Coppin State will be playing in the Stan Sheriff Center for the third consecutive season. The Eagles lost regular-season games against Hawai'i in 2006 and 2007.

GEORGE WASHINGTON COLONIALS

Record: 6-2.

Conference: Atlantic 10.

Head coach: Karl Hobbs (129-84, 8th season at GW).

Rainbow Classic experience: Second appearance. Placed sixth in 2000.

Players to watch: Rob Diggs (6-9, 202, Sr., F) is averaging 11.9 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocked shots per game. He has scored in double-figures in six of eight games this season. ... Damian Hollis (6-8, 205, Jr., F) is averaging 11.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, and has a .515 field goal percentage. ... Noel Wilmore (6-4, 190, Sr., G) is averaging 10.0 points per game and leads the team with 22 3-pointers. He is the team's top reserve. ... Tony Taylor (6-1, 181, Fr., G) is averaging 8.4 points and 3.0 assists per game.

Notes: The Colonials won a road game at Sacramento State, 59-47, on Tuesday. ... George Washington's only losses this season were at Auburn and against Maryland. ... The George Washington campus is located four blocks from the White House in Washington, D.C. Prominent alumni include Red Auerbach, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Colin Powell.

HAWAI'I RAINBOW WARRIORS

Record: 6-3.

Conference: Western Athletic.

Head coach: Bob Nash (17-22, 2nd season at UH).

Rainbow Classic experience: 45th consecutive year as host. Total record of 72-60 in Classic games, including 11 championships.

Players to watch: Roderick Flemings (6-7, 225, Jr., G/F) is averaging 19.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. He has reached double-figure points in every game this season, including 37 against Eastern Washington on Dec. 13. ... Petras Balocka (6-8, 255, Jr., F) is averaging 13.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. ... Bill Amis (6-9, 225, Jr., F) is averaging 10.3 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, and leads the team with 15 blocked shots. ... Kareem Nitoto (6-2, 185, So., G) leads the team in assists with 3.7 per game.

Notes: The Rainbow Warriors have won six consecutive games in the Stan Sheriff Center. ... Hawai'i has won seven of the last 11 Rainbow Classic championships. The 'Bows went 0-3 in the Classic and finished in last place last season. ... Bob Nash was the Most Outstanding Player of the 1971 Rainbow Classic, and still holds the records for most rebounds in a game (30) and tournament (52).

PEPPERDINE WAVES

Record: 1-11.

Conference: West Coast.

Head coach: Tom Asbury (126-70 in seventh season at PU).

Rainbow Classic experience: Second appearance. Placed fourth in 2003.

Players to watch: Keion Bell (6-3, 180, Fr., G) is averaging 11.7 points and 2.0 assists per game. He is a true freshman from Pasadena High (Calif.). ... Mychel Thompson (6-7, 200, So., F) is averaging 10.2 points. He is the son of former NBA No. 1 overall draft pick Mychal Thompson. ... Taylor Darby (6-7, 210, Fr., F) leads the team in rebounding with 6.8 per game and is also averaging 5.7 points per game.

Notes: The Waves won their season-opener, and then lost 11 straight games. They are 0-6 in the month of December, and are getting out-scored by an average of 20.3 points per game. ... Tom Asbury is in his second stint as head coach at Pepperdine. He went 125-59 from 1989-94. He returned this season after coaching at Kansas State then Alabama. ... The 14-player Pepperdine roster features nine players from California.

VERMONT CATAMOUNTS

Record: 6-3.

Conference: America East.

Head coach: Mike Lonergan (60-43 in fourth season at UV).

Rainbow Classic experience: First appearance.

Players to watch: Marqus Blakely (6-5, 225, Jr., F) is averaging 17.0 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. He also leads the team with a .540 field goal percentage, and 3.3 blocked shots per game. ... Mike Trimboli (6-1, 180, Sr., G) is averaging 16.3 points and 5.4 assists per game. He is third in UV history for career assists (520), and sixth in points scored (1,643). ... Colin McIntosh (6-8, 210, Sr., F) is averaging 13.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.

Notes: The Catamounts have lost two games in overtime this season. ... Vermont has a .405 percentage from 3-point range (49 of 121). ... The University of Vermont is commonly referred to as UVM, short for the Latin name, Universitas Viridis Montis (University of the Green Mountains). The team is nicknamed the Catamounts after a legendary mountain cat found in the state.