SETTING THE SCENE
        After splitting its first two games of the season on the road, the Toledo men's basketball team (1-1) returns home this weekend for a pair of contests as part of the Men Against Breast Cancer presented by FieldTurf. The Rockets will host Robert Morris on Saturday, Nov. 16 and Howard on Sunday, Nov. 17. Both games will tip off at 2:00 p.m.
        Toledo bounced back from a season-opening 79-77 setback to Valparaiso with a convincing 96-70 triumph over Marshall last Sunday. Junior Spencer Littleson poured in a career-high 27 points and grabbed a team-best three steals to pace the Rocket attack. He finished 6-of-8 from three-point range with five of his triples coming in the first half.
        Junior Dylan Alderson enjoyed a breakout outing as well by tallying career bests in points (17) and rebounds (10). Senior Willie Jackson also produced a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards to help Toledo dominate the glass by a 43-29 margin.
        Robert Morris was picked fifth in the Northeast Conference Preseason?Coaches Poll and is still looking for its first victory following road losses to Marshall (67-60) and Notre Dame (92-57) and a home setback to Pittsburgh (71-57). Senior Josh Williams is leading the Colonials with 17.0 ppg and a 38.5 three-point FG% (10-of-26).
        Head Coach Kenneth Blakeney is in his first season at Howard's helm. The Bison are picked to finish sixth in the 11-team MEAC's preseason poll. Senior Charles Williams is scoring at a team-high 15.7 ppg clip and has connected on 7-of-15 shots from three-point range. Howard is also looking for its first victory following Tuesday's 79-50 setback at Notre Dame.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019.
Tip-Off: 2:00 p.m.
Location: Toledo, Ohio.
Arena: John F. Savage Arena (7,014).
Streaming: ESPN3. Mason Lowry will provide play-by-play for broadcast with Rhett Boyd serving as analyst.
Radio: Rocket Radio Network. WSPD (1370 AM) in Toledo. Brent Balbinot will provide play-by-play for broadcast with Jay Lehman serving as analyst.
 
SERIES
Toledo leads 2-1. The Rockets won both matchups against the Colonials in 2013 and 2014 after losing a home game in the 2012 CIT by a 69-51 margin. Toledo posted an 80-77 road win followed by an 83-57 home victory.

POST TOUCHES
•  Junior Marreon Jackson was named to the Lou Henson Award Preseason Watch list last week. The award is presented to the top mid-major player in the nation.
•  Juniors Marreon Jackson and Spencer Littleson are tied for the team scoring lead with 19.5 ppg. Redshirt freshman Keshaun Saunders and senior Luke Knapke are also scoring in double digits with 15.0 and 13.5 ppg, respectively.
•  Six Rockets scored in double digits in Toledo's 96-70 win at Marshall.
•  Toledo knocked down 14 three-point field goals vs. the Thundering Herd, a total that is tied for third in program history and three shy of the school record.
•  Toledo has connected for 14 treys in a game on nine occasions during Coach Kowalczyk's tenure, including eight times since the start of the 2017-18 campaign.
•  Luke Knapke needs just 28 points to become the 47th Rocket to score 1,000 career points. Knapke finished third in the MAC in league play with 1.7 bpg last year and ranked fourth with a 59.4 FG%. He is in second place on Toledo's all-time blocked shot list with 140 career blocks, two ahead of J.C. Harris (1989-92) and 15 behind Nathan Boothe (2012-16).
•  Willie Jackson is the MAC's top returning rebounder after ranking fourth last year with 8.9 rpg. He registered nine double-doubles last year and led or shared the team lead in rebounding on 21 occasions. Jackson led the Rockets with a game-high 12 rebounds at Valparaiso (Nov. 5) before tying for the team lead with 10 boards at Marshall (Nov. 10).
•  Marreon Jackson ranked fourth in the MAC last year with 4.3 apg and seventh with 1.5 spg and is averaging a team-high 7.5 apg and 3.5 spg this season. He ranked second on the team with 13.5 ppg in MAC play last year and ranked third in the MAC in league games only with a 40.0 3PTFG% (42-of-105).
•  Keshaun Saunders has scored in double digits in his first two games as a Rocket and leads the team with a 61.5 three-point FG% (8-of-13).
•  AJ Edu, who is redshirting this season due to a knee injury suffered over the summer, ranked second in the MAC with 1.8 blocks per game last year and led the way with 1.9 bpg in league play despite playing just 13.9 mpg. Edu registered a season-high six rejections vs. WMU (March 5) and his 58 rejections ranked third in school history.
•  Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk is in his 10th season at the Rockets' helm and has guided Toledo to four 20-win campaigns in the last six years, marking the first time for this accomplishment since Bob Nichols recorded five straight 20-win seasons from 1976-81.
•  The Rockets' 25 victories last year ranked second in school history. Toledo won a school-record 27 games under Coach Kowalczyk in the 2013-14 campaign.
•  Toledo's 48 victories over the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons are the most in a two-year period in Rocket history. The previous best was 47 from 2013-14 to 2014-15.
•  The Rockets have registered 13-5 league marks in each of the last two years and their 69 MAC victories over the last six-plus seasons rank second in the league.
•  Toledo also ranks second in the MAC with 129 overall wins over the last six years.
 
SOME TEAM STATISTICAL TIDBITS
•  The Rockets' 26-point victory at Marshall was their 16th win by 11 points or more since the start of the 2018-19 season.
•  Toledo was 5-1 last season in games decided by five points or less. The Rockets have won 12 of 16 games decided by five points or less since the start of the 2017-18 season.
•  Toledo was 21-3 when outrebounding its opponent last year and is 1-1 this season.
 
ON THE HORIZON
     Toledo will wrap up play in the Men Against Breast Cancer Invitational presented by FieldTurf when it travels to South Bend, Ind. to face Notre Dame on Thursday, Nov. 21. The Rockets will return home two days later for a matchup vs. NAIA foe Northwestern Ohio on Saturday, Nov. 23.