The University of Toledo men's basketball team opens its 104th season on Friday, Nov. 9 at 7:00 p.m. when it visits Horizon League foe Oakland. The Rockets will then return home to host NAIA foe Wilberforce in their home opener on Saturday, Nov. 10 at 7:00 p.m. The contests vs. the Golden Grizzlies and Bulldogs can both be seen on ESPN3.

Toledo at Oakland, 7:00 p.m. | Live Stats | Watch
Toledo vs. Wilberforce, 7:00 p.m. | Live Stats | Watch

    The Rockets are ranked No. 13 in the collegeinsiders.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll and return six of their top seven players in the 2018-19 campaign, led by seniors Jaelan Sanford and Nate Navigato.
        Sanford, a second-team All-MAC selection last year, ranked eighth in the MAC with 16.3 ppg and was ninth with a 40.3 three-point shooting mark. Navigato set a school record last year with 94 three-pointers, while leading the MAC with 2.8 treys per game and ranking second with a 42.7 three-point percentage.
        Also returning for Toledo will be the junior duo of center Luke Knapke (10.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg) and forward Willie Jackson (7.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg), as well as All-MAC Freshman Team member Marreon Jackson (8.0 ppg, 2.7 apg).
        Oakland will be playing its first game of the 2018-19 season and has just one senior on its roster. Junior guard Brailen Neely is the Golden Grizzlies' lone returning starter after averaging 4.0 ppg and a team-high 5.5 apg last year.
       Toledo posted an 87-74 home win over Oakland on Nov. 18 last year with Sanford leading the way with 26 points.
 
QUICK HITTERS
•   Toledo and Oakland both faced NCAA Division II foe Hillsdale in exhibitions. The Rockets posted a 72-63 win over the Chargers last Saturday, while the Golden Grizzlies notched a 67-61 victory on Oct. 24. Oakland also registered a 99-45 exhibition win on Tuesday over NCAA Division III member Kalamazoo College. 
•   Toledo has won four of its last five season openers and has a 55-49 all-time record in season lid lifters.
•   Toledo has been tabbed to finish third in the MAC's West Division this year by the MAC News Media and head coaches. Eastern Michigan is predicted to win the West Division crown followed by Ball State.
•   Jaelan Sanford was named to the Preseason All-MAC West Division squad. The Evansville, Ind. native enters the season ranked 24th on UT's all-time scoring list with 1,276 points.
•   Nate Navigato has 1,009 career points and ranks fourth on the Rockets' career three-point field goal list with 224 treys. He also ranks 13th nationally in career treys entering the 2018-19 season.
•   Navigato set a school record for most three-point field goals in a season last year with 94. He surpassed the previous record held by former Rocket Nick Moore, who sank 89 triples in the 2002-03 campaign.
•   Luke Knapke's 60 blocked shots tied a school record for most rejections in a season, held by J.C. Harris in the 1991-92 campaign. Knapke ranks fourth on the Rockets' career rejection list with 88. Knapke's 29 blocks in league play last season were third in school history.
•   Knapke tied a school MAC Tournament record with four blocks each vs. Eastern Michigan and Buffalo last year held by Craig Rodgers vs. Northern Illinois on March 1, 2000.
•   Marreon Jackson's eight treys were the most in school history for a tournament game, two shy of the tourney record held by Miami's Jason Stewart in 2002.
•   Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk is entering his ninth season at the Rockets' helm and has guided UT to three 20-win campaigns in the last five years, marking the first time for this accomplishment since Bob Nichols recorded five straight 20-win seasons from 1976-81.
•   UT registered a 23-11 record with a 13-5 mark in league play last year and its 55 MAC victories over the last five seasons rank second in the league.
•   Toledo made its second appearance in the MAC Tournament Championship Game under Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk last year.
•   The Rockets' 23 victories last year were tied for third most in school history. Toledo won a school-record 27 games under Coach Kowalczyk in the 2013-14 campaign.
•   Kowalczyk is tied with Harold Anderson (1934-42) for third place on the Rockets' all-time win list with 142 victories. Bob Nichols (1965-87) holds the record with 376 with Stan Joplin (1996-2008) second with 203.