TOLEDO, Ohio - The Toledo men's basketball team (7-2) heads to Virginia this weekend for a matchup vs. the University of Richmond (5-4) on Saturday, Dec. 11. The meeting against the Spiders is the Rockets' first regular-season meeting vs. an Atlantic 10 Conference member since their season-opening 98-87 win over Saint Joseph's on Nov. 11, 2017. Tip-off time in the Robins Center is set for 6:00 p.m. with streaming on ESPN+.

        Sophomore Ryan Rollins scored a game-high 27 points and sank two game-winning free throws with 6.4 seconds left in Tuesday's 67-65 home win over Bradley. Rollins ranks 15th nationally with a MAC-best 20.9 ppg. He has five 20-point plus outings and has scored 15 or more points against each of Toledo's Division I opponents with a career-high 35 against Coastal Carolina (Nov. 24).

        Joining Rollins in double digits are juniors JT Shumate (14.3), Setric Millner Jr. (13.9), and RayJ Dennis (11.1). Shumate (7.3 rpg) and Millner (6.2 rpg) are pacing the Rockets in rebounding, while Dennis is dishing out a team-high 3.9 apg.

        Toledo is outrebounding its opposition by 7.1 rpg this season, a figure that ranks 46th in the nation. The Rockets have lost both games that they have been out-rebounded this season.

        Richmond bounced back from defeats to Maryland (86-80) and Mississippi State (82-71) with road wins over Wofford (73-64) and Northern Iowa (60-52). Tyler Burton leads the Spiders with 18.6 ppg and 6.3 rpg, while Grant Golden ranks second with 16.4 ppg and 5.6 rpg. Jacob Gilyard is averaging 11.9 ppg, a team-high 5.3 apg and holds the NCAA career steals record with 386.

        Toledo faced Richmond for the first time in last year's NIT Tournament in Denton, Texas. Rollins scored a team-high 18 points in the Rockets' 76-66 defeat.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021.
Tip-Off: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Richmond, Va.
Arena: Robins Center (7,201).
Television: ESPN+. Bob Black will provide play-by-play for broadcast with Greg Beckwith 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: Richmond leads 1-0. Richmond posted a 76-66 victory over Toledo in Denton, Texas in the first meeting between the two schools in last year's National Invitation Tournament.

POST TOUCHES

•  Ryan Rollins scored a career-high 35 points en route to earning Tournament MVP honors at the Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship. He was 12-of-20 from the field, a career-best 4-of-5 from three-point range and 7-of-9 from the free-throw line in the championship-game win over Coastal Carolina.

•  Rollins has scored in double digits in 34 of 39 career games and ranks second in the MAC with 1.9 spg. Rollins is averaging 3.0 spg in his last four contests.

•  Prior to Tuesday's four-point outing vs. Bradley when he was sick, Setric Millner Jr. was averaging 18.8 ppg with a 52.3 FG%, 47.4 three-point FG% (9-of-19) and 85.0 FT% (17-of-20) in his last five games.

•  JT Shumate ranks in the MAC's Top 15 in six categories.  He is fourth with a 57.5 FG%, sixth with a 45.7 three-point FG% and 4.9 defensive rpg, seventh with 2.4 offensive rpg and 7.1 rpg, and 13th with 14.3 ppg.

•  RayJ Dennis scored a career-high 21 points and grabbed nine boards vs. Charlotte (Nov. 22). He is fourth in the MAC with a team-high 3.9 apg and ninth with 4.7 defensive rpg.

•  Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk is in his 12th season at the Rockets' helm and has guided Toledo to five 20-win campaigns in the last eight years, marking the first time for this accomplishment since Bob Nichols recorded five straight 20-win seasons from 1976-81.

•  Toledo has now won four in-season tournaments during Coach Kowalczyk's tenure. The Rockets won the Texas-Pan American Tournament in 2012, 2K Sports Classic Sub Regional in 2013, the Gulfcoast Showcase  in 2018 and the Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship last week.

•  The Rockets have produced a strong run of success in recent years and possess a 93-45 (.674) win-loss mark since the start of the 2017-18 season. 

ON THE HORIZON

      Toledo will close out its non-conference schedule on Tuesday, Dec. 21 in Savage Arena vs. Marshall (6-3) of Conference USA. Tipoff time for the contest is set for 7:00 p.m. with streaming on ESPN+.