TOLEDO, Ohio - The Toledo men's basketball team hosts Buffalo on Friday, Feb. 14 in its fourth-annual Rockets for Life Game. The contest will be televised nationally on the CBS Sports Network at 6:30 p.m.

        Toledo (12-13, 4-8 MAC) snapped a five-game losing streak with Tuesday's 65-57 home victory over Miami, while the Bulls have been idle since last Friday's 65-60 home triumph over Central Michigan. Buffalo (15-9, 6-5 MAC) has won the last four matchups in the series after the Rockets had won four of the previous five contests against the two-time defending conference champions.

     Junior Jayvon Graves leads UB offensively with 16.2 ppg and is one of five Bulls scoring in double digits. Sophomore Josh Mballa is averaging 10.2 ppg and ranks third in the MAC with 9.4 rpg to go along with a MAC-best 3.9 offensive rpg.

        Junior Marreon Jackson is leading Toledo in scoring and ranks second in the MAC with 19.7 ppg and 5.8 apg. He is one of five players to rank among the nation's Top 40 in points and assists per game. Also appearing in the MAC's Top 10 in scoring for the Rockets is senior Luke Knapke at 15.8 ppg (9th in MAC). Senior Willie Jackson and junior Spencer Littleson are averaging 11.9 ppg and 10.3 ppg, respectively, with Jackson grabbing a MAC-high 12.0 rpg to rank third nationally.

        Marreon Jackson (24 pts, career-high 10 reb.) and Willie Jackson (11 pts., 16 reb.) both registered double-doubles in Tuesday's win over the RedHawks. Redshirt freshman Keshaun Saunders added 10 points and a career-high six boards.
 

GAME INFORMATION
Date: Friday, Feb. 14, 2020.
Tip-Off: 6:30 p.m.
Location: Toledo, Ohio.
Arena: Savage Arena (7,014).
Television: CBS Sports Network. Dave Ryan will provide play-by-play for broadcast with Steve Wolf 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 15-13. Buffalo has won the last four matchups in the series after the Rockets had won four of the previous five meetings. Toledo's last win over the Bulls was an 86-54 home win in 2017.

POST TOUCHES
•  Marreon Jackson was named to the Lou Henson Award Mid-Season Watch list in January, an award presented to the top mid-major player in the nation. Jackson ranks among the Top Five in the MAC with 3.1 3FGs/game (1st), 19.7 ppg (2nd), 5.8 apg (2nd) and a 1.9 assist/turnover ratio (4th). In league play, he is first with 3.9 treys/game, second with 22.6 ppg and 5.7 apg and fifth an 84.7 FT% and 42.7 three-point FG%.
•  Jackson hit seven treys at both Akron and Kent State which is one shy of former Rocket Nate Navigato's school record for a conference game (eight vs. EMU on March 2, 2018).
•  Jackson has scored in double figures in a career-high 14 straight games and is averaging 25.0 ppg and a 44.3 3PTFG% (35-of-79) in his last eight games.
•  Jackson's top four scoring outings of his career have all come on the road this season - 36 at Akron, 32 at Kent State, 31 at Bowling Green and 29 at Ohio.
•  Luke Knapke, who has been named MAC West Division Player of the Week and MAC Male Scholar Athlete twice this season, has scored in double digits in 23 of 25 games. The only two games he hasn't was when he was plagued by foul trouble in a seven-point effort at Kent State (Jan. 7) and in a nine-point showing vs. Miami (Feb. 11).
•  Knapke ranks second on the team with 15.1 ppg and 8.1 rpg to go along with a MAC-best 2.1 bpg and is the only player to rank in MAC's Top 10 in points, rebounds and blocks.
• Knapke became UT's career blocked shot leader with a school-record 10 blocks (2nd in MAC history) at Cleveland St. He now has 187 blocks, 32 more than Nathan Boothe.
•  Willie Jackson leads the MAC and ranks third nationally with 12.0 rpg after ranking fourth in the MAC last year with 8.9 rpg. In league play, he is averaging 12.8 ppg and 11.8 rpg with a 52.1 FG%. He has led Toledo on the boards in 20 games, including a career-high tying 20 caroms at Notre Dame (Nov. 21).
•  Jackson scored a career-high 23 points to go along with 12 boards at Akron (Jan. 18) and also tallied 17 points and 13 rebounds at Kent State (Jan. 7).
•  Spencer Littleson has scored in double digits 11 times and ranks fifth in the MAC with a 40.8 three-point FG%.
•  Keshaun Saunders has started the last five games and is averaging 7.0 ppg in 30.6 mpg during this stretch. In league play, he is fourth with a 43.5 three-point FG%.
•  The Rockets have registered 13-5 league marks in each of the last two years and their 72 MAC victories over the last six-plus seasons rank second in the league. Buffalo is first with 84 victories.
•  Toledo also is third in the MAC with 141 overall wins over the last six-plus years.
 
SOME TEAM STATISTICAL TIDBITS
•  Toledo committed a season-low four turnovers vs. Bowling Green (Jan. 25) and ranks second in the MAC with a 1.18 A/TO ratio. UT is first in league play with a 1.19 A/TO ratio.
•  The Rockets have committed 12 or fewer turnovers in seven of its last nine contests.
•  Two Rockets — Keshaun Saunders (43.5/4th) and Marreon Jackson (42.7/5th) — rank in the MAC's Top Five in three-point FG% in league play.
•  Toledo was 21-3 when outrebounding its opponent last year and is 9-4 this season.
•  UT was 21-1 last year when holding its opponent under a 45.0 FG% and is 10-6 this year.
 
SOME INFO ON THE ROCKETS' OPPONENT
     Buffalo leads the MAC in assists (15.4 apg), rebounding margin (+5.0), offensive rebounds per game (15.0) and blocked shots (4.8 bpg) and ranks second in scoring (78.0 ppg). The Bulls rank 11th in the conference in scoring defense (74.9), three-point FG% (31.8), free-throw percentage (65.3) and 10th in FG% defense (43.8).

ROCKET SUCCESS VS. MAC EAST DIVISION
     Toledo has a 41-18 mark vs. MAC East teams (including tourney play) since the start of the 2013-14 season. The Rockets were 7-1 ('13-14), 6-2 ('14-15), 6-2 ('15-16), 5-3 ('16-17), 7-1 ('17-18) and 5-3 ('18-19) and aim to even their record vs. the East this year at 4-4 on Friday.
 
ON THE HORIZON
Toledo is idle until traveling to Kalamazoo, Mich. to face Western Michigan on Saturday, Feb. 22. The Rockets will then visit Central Michigan on Tuesday, Feb. 25 before hosting Ball State on Saturday, Feb. 29