TOLEDO, Ohio - The Toledo men's basketball team (8-6) looks to bounce back from last Friday's 61-57 defeat to Ball State in its Mid-American Conference opener when it visits Kent State (11-3) on Tuesday, Jan. 7. Tip-off time is set for 7:00 p.m. in the M.A.C. Center.
     
      The Rockets will be facing a Golden Flashes' squad that posted a convincing 79-61 victory at Bowling Green last Friday. Kent State is 7-0 at home this season and posted an 87-85 (OT) home victory over Toledo last season.

      Junior Marreon Jackson leads Toledo offensively with 16.5 ppg (4th in MAC) and is followed closely by senior Luke Knapke's 15.9 ppg (5th in MAC). Senior Spencer Littleson is averaging 12.1 ppg, while senior Willie Jackson is averaging a double-double with 11.3 ppg and 12.2 rpg, a total that ranks fourth in the nation. He also is tied for eighth nationally with eight double-doubles.

      Toledo led by 12 points early against Ball State and then fell behind by 12 before rallying to take a one-point lead with just over five minutes to play.

      Willie Jackson tallied a team-high 14 points and 12 rebounds against the Cardinals, while Knapke and Marreon Jackson joined him in double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Marreon Jackson also dished out a game-high six assists with zero turnovers, while Knapke swatted away four Cardinal shots.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020.
Tip-Off: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Kent, Ohio.
Arena: M.A.C. Center (6,327).
Television: ESPN-Plus. Ty Linder will provide play-by-play for broadcast with Tanner Castora 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 83-49. Toledo has won two of its last five games in the M.A.C. Center after dropping six in a row in the facility. The Rockets are 32-31 vs. KSU on the road.
 
POST TOUCHES
•  Toledo is concluding a stretch of playing five of six games on the road. After Tuesday's game at Kent State, the Rockets will host Western Michigan (Jan. 11) and Central Michigan (Jan. 14).
•  Marreon Jackson was named to the Lou Henson Award Preseason Watch list at the start of the season. The award is presented to the top mid-major player in the nation. He has dished out a career-high 10 assists twice and is fourth in the MAC with 16.5 ppg, second with 6.1 apg and 2.2 spg and third with a 2.0 A/TO ratio.
•  Jackson has scored a career-high 27 points on two occasions, the first in the Rockets' season opener at Valparaiso and the second vs. Howard on Nov. 17.
•  Luke Knapke, who has been named MAC West Division Player of the Week twice this season, is the only Rocket to score in double digits in every game this season. He ranks second on the team with 15.9 ppg and 8.2 rpg to go along with a MAC-best 2.8 bpg.
• Knapke now has a school-record 175 blocked shots, 20 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 fourth nationally with 12.2 rpg (3rd in nation with 9.0 defensive rpg) after ranking fourth in the MAC last year with 8.9 rpg. He has scored in double digits in seven straight outings and led the Rockets on the boards in 11 games, including a career-high tying 20 rebounds at Notre Dame (Nov. 21).
•  Spencer Littleson has scored in double digits eight times and possesses a team-best 42.5 3PTFG% (5th in MAC). He also is ninth in the MAC with a team-high 2.4 three-point field goals per game.

SOME TEAM STATISTICAL TIDBITS
•  Toledo has held all of its opponents to a 45.0 FG% or lower, including six under 40.0.
•  Toledo has made nine or more three-pointers in nine 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 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 Ball State. The Rockets are 13-6 in games decided by five points or less since the start of the 2017-18 season.
•  Toledo was 21-1 last year when holding its opponent under a 45.0 FG% and is 8-4 this season.
•  The Rockets were 19-0 when holding their opponent under 70 points last year but has lost twice this season.

SOME INFO ON THE ROCKETS' OPPONENT
    Kent State has five players scoring in double digits with senior Antonio Williams setting the pace with 14.0 ppg. Junior Danny Pippen is averaging 13.9 ppg, 6.0 rpg and a team-best 2.2 bpg, while senior Philip Whittington has a team-high 6.8 rpg to go along with a team-high 6.8 rpg.
    The Golden Flashes lead the MAC in FG% (45.6), scoring margin (+12.9), assist/turnover ratio (1.3) and blocked shots (4.7).

ON THE HORIZON
            Toledo will return home to play its first two MAC home games vs. Western Michigan on Saturday, Jan. 11 and Central Michigan on Tuesday, Jan. 14.