Matchups at Duke, Oregon and VCU and Home Tournament Highlight 2014-15 Schedule
9/3/2014 5:18:00 PM | Men's Basketball
TOLEDO, OH — Toledo Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk announced the Rockets' 2014-15 men's basketball schedule on Wednesday. The Rockets' slate is highlighted by three contests against 2014 NCAA Tournament squads — Duke, Oregon and VCU — as well as a two-day home tournament as part of the Legends Classic.
Following its home opener vs. Northern Arizona (Nov. 16), the Rockets will visit VCU (Nov. 18) and Oregon (Nov. 21) as part of the Legends Classic. UT will then host a two-game tournament inside Savage Arena to complete its participation in the Legends event. UT will open tourney play vs. Bucknell (Nov. 24) before facing either Detroit or Maryland-Eastern Shore the following evening.
Toledo will then make a short trip north over Thanksgiving weekend to battle Horizon League foe Oakland (Nov. 29) before beginning a season-long three-game homestand. UT will entertain Chicago State (Dec. 6), Arkansas State (Dec. 13) and Robert Morris (Dec. 17) on its home floor before closing out the calendar year at McNeese State (Dec. 20) and Duke (Dec. 29). The Rockets receive their final tuneup before Mid-American Conference action with a visit to Highland Heights, KY to face Northern Kentucky (Jan. 3).
“I'm very pleased with our schedule and the challenges it's going provide for us,” Kowalczyk said. “We're going to be facing three high-level teams in Duke, Oregon and VCU in addition to several strong mid-major programs. We'll have a veteran squad back, and I believe we're ready to take on a schedule of this caliber.”
Toledo set a school record with 27 victories in its 2013-14 campaign, in addition to capturing its eighth Mid-American Conference title, appearing in its eighth National Invitation Tournament in program history and posting its first unbeaten (15-0) home record (fourth in school history) since the 1966-67 season.
The Rockets return eight letterwinners and four starters, including first-team All-MAC guard Julius Brown, third-team All-MAC guard Justin Drummond and honorable mention All-MAC forward J.D. Weatherspoon.
Toledo's 18-game MAC schedule opens with a pair of home dates vs. Central Michigan (Jan. 6) and Akron (Jan. 9). As part of its league slate, the Rockets will face each West Division foe as well as Akron and Kent State on two occasions, and the remainder of the East Division squads once each.
Toledo's remaining home dates are against Western Michigan (Jan. 17), Bowling Green (Jan. 24), Miami (Jan. 27), Eastern Michigan (Feb. 4), Kent State (Feb. 14), Northern Illinois (Feb. 24) and Ball State (Feb. 28).
The first round of the 2014 MAC Tournament will begin on campus sites on March 9 with the remainder of the tourney being held at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH.
Following its home opener vs. Northern Arizona (Nov. 16), the Rockets will visit VCU (Nov. 18) and Oregon (Nov. 21) as part of the Legends Classic. UT will then host a two-game tournament inside Savage Arena to complete its participation in the Legends event. UT will open tourney play vs. Bucknell (Nov. 24) before facing either Detroit or Maryland-Eastern Shore the following evening.
Toledo will then make a short trip north over Thanksgiving weekend to battle Horizon League foe Oakland (Nov. 29) before beginning a season-long three-game homestand. UT will entertain Chicago State (Dec. 6), Arkansas State (Dec. 13) and Robert Morris (Dec. 17) on its home floor before closing out the calendar year at McNeese State (Dec. 20) and Duke (Dec. 29). The Rockets receive their final tuneup before Mid-American Conference action with a visit to Highland Heights, KY to face Northern Kentucky (Jan. 3).
“I'm very pleased with our schedule and the challenges it's going provide for us,” Kowalczyk said. “We're going to be facing three high-level teams in Duke, Oregon and VCU in addition to several strong mid-major programs. We'll have a veteran squad back, and I believe we're ready to take on a schedule of this caliber.”
Toledo set a school record with 27 victories in its 2013-14 campaign, in addition to capturing its eighth Mid-American Conference title, appearing in its eighth National Invitation Tournament in program history and posting its first unbeaten (15-0) home record (fourth in school history) since the 1966-67 season.
The Rockets return eight letterwinners and four starters, including first-team All-MAC guard Julius Brown, third-team All-MAC guard Justin Drummond and honorable mention All-MAC forward J.D. Weatherspoon.
Toledo's 18-game MAC schedule opens with a pair of home dates vs. Central Michigan (Jan. 6) and Akron (Jan. 9). As part of its league slate, the Rockets will face each West Division foe as well as Akron and Kent State on two occasions, and the remainder of the East Division squads once each.
Toledo's remaining home dates are against Western Michigan (Jan. 17), Bowling Green (Jan. 24), Miami (Jan. 27), Eastern Michigan (Feb. 4), Kent State (Feb. 14), Northern Illinois (Feb. 24) and Ball State (Feb. 28).
The first round of the 2014 MAC Tournament will begin on campus sites on March 9 with the remainder of the tourney being held at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH.
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