SETTING THE SCENE
        Toledo (17-7, 9-2 MAC) looks to continue its torrid pace over nearly the last two months when it visits Oxford, Ohio on Friday, Feb. 9 to battle Mid-American Conference East Division foe Miami (13-11, 6-5 MAC). Tip-off time from Millett Hall is 6:00 p.m. with the game being televised nationally on the CBS Sports Network.
        The Rockets, who have won 12 of 14 games since opening their season with a 5-5 record, possess a three-game lead in the Mid-American Conference's West Division over Ball State (15-9, 6-5 MAC) and Western Michigan (14-10, 6-5 MAC). Toledo and Buffalo (18-6, 10-1 MAC) are the only two teams in the MAC with less than five defeats.
        Junior Jaelan Sanford tallied 22 points in Tuesday's 82-77 win over Northern Illinois to pace a balanced Toledo attack that saw four players score in double digits. Senior Tre'Shaun Fletcher scored 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting, tied for the team lead with six boards and dished out a team-best five assists. Sophomore Luke Knapke contributed 14 points, while freshman Marreon Jackson collected 13 points. It was Jackson, though, who came through with the Rockets' biggest points of the evening. With the score tied at 75-apiece, Jackson buried a corner trey with 54 seconds remaining off a feed from Fletcher to put the Midnight Blue and Gold ahead to stay.
 
QUICK HITTERS
•   Fletcher is the lone individual to appear in the MAC's Top 10 in points, rebounds and assists with 18.8 ppg (2nd), 8.5 rpg (3rd) and 4.3 apg (4th). Fletcher also tops the MAC in league play at 20.5 ppg.
•   Sanford ranks second on the team and sixth in the MAC with 16.8 ppg, while Jackson is second with a 44.4 3PTFG% and fifth with a 1.9 assist/turnover ratio. Knapke is second with a 58.8 FG% with junior Nate Navigato ranking seventh with 2.6 treys per game and 10th with a 40.6 3PTFG%.
•   As a team, Toledo ranks 18th nationally (as of Feb. 6) with its 40.6 3PTFG% and also tops the MAC with its 47.3 FG%, 10.0 three-point FGs per game, 1.3 assist/turnover ratio and 28.5 defensive rebounds per game. The Rockets are also second with 80.2 ppg and 15.9 apg and third with.
•   Toledo is 7-4 on the road this season and has won seven of its last eight away from Savage Arena. UT's only loss during this stretch was a 104-94 loss at Buffalo (Jan. 2) and its current four-game road win streak is its longest since winning five straight from Jan. 31-Feb. 21, 2015.
•   Miami is 7-3 at home (3-3 MAC) and ranks first in the MAC in 3PTFG% defense (32.7) and is second in steals per game (7.0) and scoring defense (68.8 ppg).
•   Freshman guard Nike Sibande is the only RedHawk scoring in double figures at 14.4 ppg. Junior guard Darrian Ringo ranks fourth and ninth nationally with 7.6 apg and 2.5 spg, respectively.
•   Toledo has won its last eight meetings vs. Miami with its last defeat a 68-66 setback on Feb. 12, 2011 in Coach Kowalczyk's first season at the helm of the Rockets.

POST-GAME NOTES FROM TOLEDO'S 82-77 WIN OVER NORTHERN ILLINOIS
• Toledo matched its season (17-17) and conference win total (9-9) from last year with seven games remaining in its regular season.
• The Rockets are three wins away from their third 20-win campaign in last five years under Coach Kowalczyk and 21st in program history.
• UT's 9-2 start to MAC play is its best since the 2013-14 season. The last time the Rockets opened a conference campaign with a 10-2 ledger was in 2006-07.
• UT is 5-1 in games decided by five points or less after posting a 6-8 record in similar contests last year. In addition, the Rockets were 1-7 last year in games decided by three points or less.
• Toledo is now 15-1 when not trailing at halftime and 16-3 when scoring 70 or more points.
• UT won for just the second time in eight games this season when having a lower field-goal percentage than its opponent. The Rockets shot 44.2 percent compared to NIU's 50.0 mark.
 
TAKING A LOOK AT THE ROCKETS IN CONFERENCE PLAY
• Toledo leads the MAC in 3PTFG% (42.5), three-point field goals per game (10.4) and assist/turnover ratio (1.5) and ranks second in points (82.6), FG% (49.3), and assists (16.6 apg) per game, scoring margin (+10.1) and rebounding margin (+2.5).
• UT ranks third in scoring defense (72.5) and fourth in FG% (42.5) and 3PTFG% (33.5) defense.
• Tre'Shaun Fletcher ranks first in scoring at 20.5 ppg, and Jaelan Sanford is fifth at 17.8 ppg. • Sanford leads the MAC with an 85.4 free-throw percentage (41-of-48), and Luke Knapke ranks second in field-goal percentage at 63.3 percent
• Sanford is also second with a 3.5 assist/turnover ratio, and Fletcher is fourth with a 2.4 mark.
• Marreon Jackson is tied for third with a 47.1 three-point field-goal percentage.