TOLEDO, Ohio - The Toledo men's basketball team (9-8, 1-3 MAC) hits the road on Saturday, Jan. 18 to visit MAC East Division leader Akron (14-3, 4-0 MAC). Tip-off time is set for 2:00 p.m. in Rhodes Arena with streaming available on ESPN3.

        The Rockets have opened league play with a win over WMU (67-59) and three single-digit losses - at BSU (61-57), at KSU (84-77) and vs. CMU (74-67). Toledo is the fifth West Divison squad the Zips have faced. Akron has home wins over WMU and BSU and road wins at EMU and NIU.

        The Zips have outscored their opponents in league play by 19.3 ppg while allowing just 55.8 ppg, a 34.8 FG% and a 25.6 three-point FG%.

        Junior Marreon Jackson is leading the Rockets in scoring and ranks third in the MAC with 17.2 ppg. Also scoring in double digits for Toledo is senior Luke Knapke at 15.2 ppg (8th in MAC), senior Willie Jackson at 11.5 ppg and junior Spencer Littleson at 11.4 ppg. Jackson is also averaging 12.5 rpg, a total that ranks third in the nation. He also is tied for seventh nationally with 10 double-doubles.

        Redshirt freshman Keshaun Saunders tied his season high with 18 points to lead the Rockets in Tuesday's 74-67 home setback to Central Michigan. He is averaging 9.3 ppg in league play with a 58.3 FG% and 69.2 3PTFG% (9-of-13).

        Toledo has won its last three matchups vs. Akron, including a 63-52 home win last year. The Rockets have won three of their last four contests in Rhodes Arena, including a 77-56 victory on Feb. 3, 2018.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020.
Tip-Off: 2:00 p.m.
Location: Akron, Ohio.
Arena: Rhodes Arena (5,500).
Television: ESPN3. Michael Reghi will provide play-by-play for the broadcast with Jacki Windon 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 36-27. Toledo has won seven of its last eight games vs. Akron after losing seven in a row to the Zips.

POST TOUCHES
•  Marreon Jackson was named to the Lou Henson Award Mid-Season Watch list. The award is presented to the top mid-major player in the nation. He has dished out a career-high 10 assists twice and ranks among the Top Five in the MAC with 17.2 ppg (3rd), 6.2 apg (2nd), 2.1 spg (T-3rd) and a 1.9 assist/turnover ratio (4th).
•  Jackson scored a career-high 32 points at Kent State (Jan. 7) and also has tallied 27 points at Valparaiso (Nov. 5) and vs. Howard (Nov. 17).
•  Luke Knapke, who has been named MAC West Division Player of the Week twice this season, has scored in double digits in 16 of 17 games. He ranks second on the team with 15.2 ppg and 8.1 rpg to go along with a MAC-best 2.6 bpg.
•  Knapke became Toledo's all-time blocked shot leader with a school-record 10 blocks (2nd in MAC history) at Cleveland State. He now has 180 blocks, 25 more than Nathan Boothe (2012-16).
•  Knapke joined Boothe as one of three Rockets to register a triple-double with 12 points, 12 rebounds and 10 blocks at CSU. Boothe tallied 12 pts., 13 reb. and 10 asst. vs. San Jose State in 2015, while Tre'Shaun Fletcher recorded 20 pts., 11 reb., and 11 asst. at Northern Illinois in 2018. Toledo went 100 years without having a triple-double and now has three in the last five seasons under Coach Kowalczyk.
•  Willie Jackson leads the MAC and ranks third nationally with 12.5 rpg (3rd in nation with 8.9 defensive rpg) after ranking fourth in the MAC last year with 8.9 rpg. He has scored in double digits in nine of his last 10 games and has led Toledo on the boards in 14 games, including a career-high tying 20 caroms at Notre Dame (Nov. 21).
•  Jackson scored a season-high 17 points to go along with 13 boards at Kent State (Jan. 7) with his scoring output one shy of his career high in the 2018 MAC semifinals.
•  Spencer Littleson has scored in double digits nine times and dished out a career-high seven assists vs. CMU (Jan. 14).
•  Keshaun Saunders has scored in double digits in back-to-back games — 10 vs. WMU & 18 vs. CMU — for the first time since the Rockets' first three games of the season. He is shooting 62.5 percent (5-of-8) from three-point range in MAC play.
 
SOME TEAM STATISTICAL TIDBITS
•  Toledo has held all but one opponent to a 45.0 FG% or lower, including six under 40.0.
•  Toledo has made nine or more three-pointers in 11 games, including 14 treys at Marshall which is tied for third in program history and three shy of the school record.
•  The Rockets have 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.
•  Toledo has shot 38.3 percent (36-of-94) from three-point range in its last four games after posting a 24.0 mark (18-of-75) in its previous three contests.
•  Toledo was 5-1 last season in games decided by five points or less but is 1-3 this year with a pair of two-point defeats at Valpo and Notre Dame and a four-point setback at BSU. UT is 13-6 in 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 7-2 this season.
•  Toledo was 21-1 last year when holding its opponent under a 45.0 FG% and is 9-6 this season.

SOME INFO ON THE ROCKETS' OPPONENT
     Junior guard Loren Cristian Jackson leads Akron with 16.6 ppg (5th in MAC) and 5.3 apg (4th in MAC), while senior forward Xeyrius Williams is averaging close to a double-double with 14.1 ppg and 9.8 rpg (2nd in MAC). Also scoring in double digits for the Zips are seniors Tyler Cheese (15.6 ppg) and Channel Banks (11.2 ppg).
     Akron leads the MAC in FG% defense (37.9), 3PTFG% defense (26.5) and is second in scoring defense (62.5). The Zips are also first with a 37.6 3PTFG%, 76.0 FT%, a plus-13.5 scoring margin and 9.6 three-point field goals made per game.
  
ON THE HORIZON
        Toledo will visit Ohio (Jan. 21) before returning home to host arch-rival Bowling Green on Saturday, Jan. 25.