GAME INFORMATION
Date: Tuesday, January 8, 2019.
Tip-Off: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Buffalo, N.Y.
Arena: Alumni Arena (6,783).
Streaming: ESPN-Plus. Paul Peck will provide play-by-play for broadcast with Sal Capaccio serving as analyst.
Radio: Rocket Radio Network. WSPD (1370 AM) in Toledo. Brent Balbinot will provide play-by-play for broadcast with Jay Gast serving as analyst.
 
MULTIMEDIA
   Live Stats: utrockets.com
   Audio: utrockets.com
 
SERIES
   Toledo leads 15-11. UT has won four of its last seven meetings vs. UB, but lost both games last year.

TOLEDO, Ohio - Toledo (12-2) looks to bounce back from last Friday's 79-64 setback to Ball State in its Mid-American Conference opener when it travels to No. 19 Buffalo (13-1) on Tuesday, Jan. 8. Tip-off time is set for 7:00 p.m. in Alumni Arena.
       UT saw its 10-game winning streak snapped in its loss to the Cardinals and is ranked No. 76 (as of Jan. 5) in the NCAA NET rankings. Buffalo posted a 74-58 win at Eastern Michigan in its conference opener on Friday.
       UT was unable to get on track and trailed the entire game in its loss to BSU. Senior Chris Darrington paced a balanced Rocket attack with 13 points off the bench. Senior Jaelan Sanford also scored in double digits with 12 points, with juniors Willie Jackson and Luke Knapke each contributing 10 points. Senior Taylor Persons led Ball State with 21 points, while junior Tahjai Teague tallied 20 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
       The Rockets were limited to a season-low 35.2 field-goal percentage, including an 8-of-30 effort (26.7 percent) behind the three-point arc. Ball State was consistent offensively throughout, shooting 48.4 percent in the first half and 48.5 percent in the second half.
       Tuesday's contest will be a rematch of the 2018 MAC Championship Game. Buffalo won its third tournament title in last four years by posting a 76-66 victory over the Rockets after the score was tied at 63-63 with five minutes to play. The Bulls also registered a 104-94 home victory over UT on Jan. 2, 2018 in the MAC opener.
 
POST TOUCHES
•  Toledo's 12-1 start to the season was its best since opening 12-1 in the 2013-14 season.
•  UT ranks sixth nationally (as of Jan. 5) with its 78.4 FT%. The Rockets also rank in the Top 30 nationally in 3PTFGs per game (10.0/19th), defensive rebounds per game (29.6/19th), scoring margin (15.3/20th), assists per game (17.1/23rd), assist/turnover ratio (1.41/24th) and 3PTFG% defense (29.2/28th).
•  UT leads the MAC in FT% (78.4), 3PTFG% (38.1), scoring margin (plus-15.3) and three-point FG% defense (29.2) and is tied for first in three-point FGs per game (10.4).
•  Jaelan Sanford ranks second the MAC with an 87.8 FT% and fifth with a team-high 17.4 ppg. The Evansville, Ind. native ranks 11th on UT's all-time scoring list with 1,519 points, seventh with 209 career treys and ninth with an 80.5 career free-throw percentage.
•  Nate Navigato leads the MAC and ranks eighth nationally with a 50.6 three-point FG%. He also ranks second in the MAC as well as sixth nationally with a 4.2 assist/turnover ratio.
•  Willie Jackson ranks second in the MAC and tied for ninth nationally with 10.9 rpg. He is tied for 18th nationally with seven double-doubles and has 11 in 34 career games as a Rocket.
•  Three Rockets rank in the MAC's Top 15 in 3PTFG% — Nate Navigato (50.6/1st), Luke Knapke (45.9/4th) and Chris Darrington (40.4/13th) — with two in the Top 5 in FT% - Jaelan Sanford (87.8/2nd) and Chris Darrington (81.7/4th).
•  Marreon Jackson is fourth in the MAC with 4.4 assists per game and seventh with a 1.9 assist/turnover ratio.
•  Luke Knapke is fourth in the MAC with a 45.9 three-point FG% (17-of-37). Knapke scored a career-best 20 points at Wright State (Nov. 14) thanks to a 6-of-6 effort behind the three-point arc.
•  Chris Darrington comes off the bench with a 10.3 scoring mark and is one of five Rockets scoring in double digits. Darrington leads the Rockets in free throws made (49) and free throws attempted (60).
•  AJ Edu ranks second in the MAC with 1.8 blocks per game with 3.0 bpg in his last six contests.
 
SOME MORE TEAM STATISTICAL TIDBITS
•  Nine of UT's 12 wins have been by 11 points or more. The Rockets' scoring margin of plus-15.3 leads the MAC and ranks 20th nationally.
•  Prior to Friday's loss to Ball State, the Rockets had won their first seven home games for the first time since winning all 15 home contests in their 2013-14 campaign.
•  Toledo has four different players shooting 80.0 percent or better from the free-throw line. Nate Navigato leads the way with a 93.8 FT% (15-of-16).
•  Toledo has had at least four players score in double digits in 11 of 14 contests and has had five players score in double figures on five occasions.
•  Toledo has held nine of its last 11 opponents to 70 points or less. The only opponents to top 70 points during this stretch were Marshall, which needed overtime to do so in the Rockets' 75-74 (OT) road win on Dec. 8, and Ball State last Friday.
•  Toledo's loss to Ball State was its first (10-1) when outrebounding its opponent.
•  At least five different Rockets have made three-point field goals in 11 of 14 games.
•  UT has shot 75.0 percent or better from the free-throw line in 9 of 14 games but is 14-of-23 (60.9 percent) in its last two games.
•  Toledo is 9-2 in games decided by five points or less since the start of last season.

SOME INFO ON THE ROCKETS' OPPONENT
       Senior guard CJ Massinburg leads Buffalo with 17.8 ppg and is shooting 44.3 percent from behind the three-point arc. Senior guard Jeremy Harris and senior forward Nick Perkins are also scoring in double digits at 13.7 and 13.4 ppg, respectively. Perkins is grabbing a team-high 8.3 rpg.
       The Bulls lead the MAC with 17.4 assists per game, 4.9 blocked shots per game and 1.5 assist/turnover ratio and are tied for first with a plus-4.4 turnover margin. Buffalo also ranks second in the MAC in turnovers forced per game with 16.1 per contest.
 
DEFENSE! DEFENSE!
        Toledo ranks in the top three of the Mid-American Conference in each of the three primary defensive categories. The Rockets are first in three-point FG% defense (29.2), second in scoring defense (66.2) and third in field-goal percentage defense (40.6).
        Last year, UT ranked seventh in scoring defense (74.5) and fifth in field-goal percentage defense (43.7) and three-point FG% defense (43.7).

ON THE HORIZON
        Toledo will head to Kalamazoo, Mich. to battle Western Michigan (6-8, 0-1 MAC) on Saturday, Jan. 12. UT will then return home for contests vs. Miami (8-6, 0-1 MAC) on Tuesday, Jan. 15 and Ohio (8-5, 0-1 MAC) on Friday, Jan. 18.