Colorado Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 08:06:47 PDT

The field at the Maui Invitational often resembles an Elite Eight bracket at the NCAA Tournament. Well, with the exception of tournament host Chaminade.

Colorado doesn't really belong in such elite company, but the Buffaloes accepted an invitation nonetheless to the prestigious early-season tournament in Hawaii.

The appearance motivated the Buffs throughout the offseason.

"We definitely want to make an impact over there and put ourselves on the map, hopefully, early in the season," point guard Nate Tomlinson told the Boulder Camera. "We're just getting ready right now, doing all we can to get ready for that."

If Colorado makes noise in Maui it's a sign the program is climbing, particularly when it opens against Gonzaga and then plays either Arizona or...