SETTING THE SCENE
      The Toledo men's basketball team (25-8, 13-5 MAC in 2018-19) opens its 105th season on Tuesday, Nov. 5 when it visits Missouri Valley Conference foe Valparaiso. The Rockets and Crusaders will tip off at 7:00 p.m. CT (8:00 p.m. ET) inside the Athletics-Recreation Center with the game being streamed on ESPN3.
    The Rockets have won back-to-back Mid-American Conference West Division titles and are predicted to win a third-straight crown by the league's head coaches.
    A pair of preseason West Division selections, junior guard Marreon Jackson (11.7 ppg, 4.2 apg) and senior center Luke Knapke (10.5 ppg, 6.6 rpg), along with senior forward Willie Jackson (8.5 ppg, 8.9 rpg) are expected to lead the Rockets. The aforementioned trio will be serving as team captains along with junior guard Spencer Littleson (4.2 ppg, 41.7 3PTFG%).
    Knapke led the Rockets with 17.5 ppg and 10.0 rpg in a pair of exhibition wins over Hillsdale and Findlay. Marreon Jackson tallied 15.0 ppg and 6.0 rpg, while Willie Jackson averaged a double-double with 12.5 ppg and a team-high 14.0 rpg.
    Valparaiso posted a 15-18 record a year ago and will be led by a pair of Preseason All-MVC second-team honorees, senior forward Ryan Fazekas (11.8 ppg, 43.2 3PTFG%) and sophomore guard Javon Freeman-Liberty (11.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg).

GAME INFORMATION
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019.
Tip-Off: 7:00 p.m. CT (8:00 p.m. ET)
Location: Valparaiso, Ind.
Arena: Athletics-Recreation Ctr. (5,000).
Streaming: ESPN3. Todd Ickow will provide play-by-play for broadcast with Dave Huseman serving as analyst.
Radio: Rocket Radio Network. WCWA (1230 AM) in Toledo. Pete Seymour will provide play-by-play for broadcast with Jay Lehman serving as analyst.

SERIES
Toledo leads 6-5. Toledo won five of the first six meetings from 1947-50 before Valpo won four straight from 1991-2009. Toledo pulled out a 75-72 (OT) home win at home in its last meeting vs. the Crusaders on Dec. 11, 2010.

POST TOUCHES
•  Toledo has won five of its last six season openers and has a 55-49 all-time record in season lid-lifters.
•  This year's season opener is the Rockets' earliest start date, surpassing Nov. 9 as the earliest starting date in program history.
•  The Rockets posted a 75-72 (OT) home triumph over Valparaiso in the last meeting between the schools. The victory was Coach Kowalczyk's first on the Toledo bench.
•  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 its 68 MAC victories over the last six seasons rank second in the league.
•  Senior 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 dished out a career-high five assists to go along with nine points and 13 boards at Kent State (Jan. 22).
•  Junior Marreon Jackson ranked fourth in the MAC last year with 4.3 apg and seventh with 1.5 spg. He ranked second on the team with 13.5 ppg in MAC play and ranked third in the MAC in league games only with a 40.0 3PTFG% (42-of-105).
•  Senior Luke Knapke finished third in the MAC in league play with 1.7 bpg and ranked fourth with a 59.4 FG% Knapke is third on Toledo's all-time blocked shot list with 136 blocks, two behind J.C. Harris (1989-92) and 19 behind Nathan Boothe (2012-16). He also needs just 55 points to become the 47th Rocket to score 1,000 career points.
•  Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk is entering 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.