SETTING THE SCENE
        Toledo (19-8, 11-3 MAC) looks to bounce back from Saturday's 99-71 defeat at Ball State when it travels to Ypsilanti, Mich. on Tuesday, Feb. 20 to meet Eastern Michigan (16-11, 7-7 MAC) for the first time this season. The Rockets and Eagles will see each other again in their regular-season finale in 10 days on Friday, March 2 in Savage Arena. Tip-off time from EMU's Convocation Center on Tuesday is 7:00 p.m. with the game being streamed on ESPN3.

        UT holds a two-game lead in the Mid-American Conference's West Division over the Cardinals (18-9, 9-5 MAC) and trails Buffalo (20-7, 12-2 MAC) by one game for the league's best record. A victory in one of the Rockets' last four contests would secure a first-round bye in the 2018 MAC Tournament. EMU is tied for fourth in the league standings and would be the No. 7 seed in the MAC Tournament if the season ended today.

        Toledo was hampered by early foul trouble at Ball State. Junior Jaelan Sanford was whistled for a pair of charges in the first two minutes making the absence of freshman backcourt mate Marreon Jackson even more noticeable. Sophomore Luke Knapke came off the bench to score a team-high 17 points before fouling out after playing just 17 minutes. Joining Knapke in double figures were senior Tre'Shaun Fletcher with 15 points and junior Nate Navigato with 12.

QUICK HITTERS
•   Fletcher is the lone individual to appear in the MAC's Top 10 in points, rebounds and assists with 18.6 ppg (3rd), 8.6 rpg (3rd) and 4.1 apg (6th). Fletcher is 18 points away from reaching 1,000 career points.
•   Sanford ranks seventh in the MAC with 16.4 ppg, while Jackson is second with a 43.8 3PTFG%. Navigato is tied for fourth with 2.7 treys per game and alone in fourth with a 41.6 3PTFG%, and Knapke is third with a 57.8 FG% and fourth with 1.6 bpg.
•   As a team, Toledo ranks 21st nationally (as of Feb. 17) with its 40.0 3PTFG% and also tops the MAC with its 28.5 defensive rebounds per game. The Rockets are also second with 79.7 ppg, 15.6 apg, a 1.3 assist/turnover ratio and third with a 46.7 FG% and 9.7 three-point FGs per game.
•   Toledo is 8-5 on the road and has won eight of its last 10 away from Savage Arena. UT's only two losses during this stretch are a 104-94 loss at Buffalo (Jan. 2) and Saturday's setback at BSU.
•   Eastern Michigan has won four of its last five contests with its lone defeat a 70-63 (OT) setback at Bowling Green. The Eagles are 11-3 on their home floor and 5-8 on the road.
•   Junior center James Thompson IV tops the MAC with 12.1 rpg and a 67.5 FG% and ranks second in team scoring at 15.1 ppg. Junior forward Elijah Minnie is scoring at a team-best 15.9 clip.
•   Toledo swept the Eagles in last year's season series with 73-57 win in the Glass City and a 60-56 triumph in Ypsilanti. UT lost all three meetings vs. EMU in the 2015-16 campaign.

POST-GAME NOTES FROM TOLEDO'S 99-71 LOSS AT BALL STATE
• The Rockets are one win away from their third 20-win campaign in the last five years under Coach Kowalczyk and 21st in program history.
• Toledo needs four three-point field goals to break the school record of 263 in the 2015-16 campaign. UT's total of 260 also ranks behind the 2016-17 squad's total of 262.
• Sophomore Luke Knapke has 10 rejections in his last three games to move into third place on UT's season blocked shot list. The Toledo season record is 60 by J.C. Harris in the 1991-92 campaign. Harris also ranks second on the list with 45 rejections in the 1990-91 season.
• Sophomore Willie Jackson tied his career high with 10 boards in his first game since Jan. 30.

TAKING A LOOK AT THE ROCKETS IN CONFERENCE PLAY
• Toledo leads the MAC in 3PTFG% (40.9) and three-point field goals per game (9.6) and ranks second in points (81.1) and assists (15.9 apg) per game, FG% (47.7), scoring margin (+6.9), and assist/turnover ratio (1.4). UT is third in rebounding margin (+1.4).

• UT ranks second in the MAC in 3PTFG% defense (32.4), fourth in FG% defense (42.7) and fifth in scoring defense (74.1).

• Tre'Shaun Fletcher ranks second in scoring at 19.7 ppg, and Jaelan Sanford is seventh at 16.9 ppg.

• Sanford leads the MAC with an 87.5 free-throw percentage (56-of-64), and Luke Knapke ranks third in field-goal percentage at 59.8 percent

• Marreon Jackson is fourth with a 45.6 three-point field-goal percentage.

THREE-POINT PRODUCTION
        One of Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk's goals for the Rockets heading into the 2017-18 campaign was to increase their three-point field goals. Toledo has done just that this season by converting 260-of-650 attempts for a 40.0 conversion rate, a mark that sits at the top of the MAC and ranks 20th nationally (as of Feb. 17).
        UT's 9.7 treys per game are third in the MAC (36th nationally) and are well ahead of last year's average of 7.7 three-pointers per game. The Rockets posted a 36.2 3PTFG% last year.
        Toledo tied its season high with 14 three-point field goals at Central Michigan (Jan. 13), a mark that is tied for third-most in school history. The school record is 17 vs. Wright State on Dec. 22, 2003 with UT also hitting 16 vs. Marshall on Jan. 12, 2000.
        UT has tallied nine or more treys in 18 of 26 contests, including 14-of-25 totals vs. Saint Joseph's (Nov. 11), 14-of-32 totals at CMU (Jan. 13), 13-of-22 totals at Ohio (Jan. 16), 13-of-23 totals vs. WMU (Jan. 9) and 13-of-28 totals at WMU (Jan. 23).

THREE-POINT SUCCESS ON THE ROAD
        Toledo's three-point conversion rate is just under six percentage points better away from Savage Arena. The Rockets have a 43.4 3PTFG% on the road and a 36.7 mark at home. Tre'Shaun Fletcher is UT's top three-point shooter on the road at 45.6% (26-of-57) with Marreon Jackson (44.9%, 22-of-49), Nate Navigato (43.8%, 39-of-89) and Jaelan Sanford (41.9%, 31-of-74) close behind. Luke Knapke is UT's top three-point threat at home at 46.2% (12-of-26) followed by Jackson (42.9, 24-of-56).