TOLEDO, Ohio - The Toledo men's basketball team (16-4, 8-1 MAC) looks to extend its seven-game winning streak when it hosts Akron (13-5, 6-2 MAC) in a nationally televised contest on Friday, Jan. 28. Tip-off time for the matchup is 7:00 p.m. on the CBS Sports Network.

        The Rockets are ranked No. 9 in the CollegeInsiders.com Mid-Major Poll, a game ahead of Ohio (15-3, 6-1 MAC) and one-and-a-half games in front of the Zips in the conference standings. Toledo is 8-0 in Savage Arena as well as 8-1 in league play for a second straight season.

         Sophomore Ryan Rollins tallied 25 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and four steals in the Rockets' 86-75 home victory over Buffalo on Tuesday. Rollins was joined in double digits by juniors Setric Millner Jr. (13 pts.) and JT Shumate (13 pts.), as well as redshirt freshman Ra'Heim Moss (12 pts.). Moss was 4-of-4 from the field as well as from the free-throw line, dished out a season-high six assists and grabbed four rebounds.

        Toledo ranks ninth nationally this season with a 78.8 free-throw percentage and is shooting 87.5 percent (70-of-80) from the line in its last five games.

        Rollins leads the MAC with 20.0 ppg. Shumate ranks second on the team with 15.2 ppg and is grabbing a team-best 6.3 rpg. Also scoring in double digits are Millner Jr. (14.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg) and junior RayJ Dennis (11.8 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 3.7 apg).

        Akron posted a 60-56 win at Central Michigan on Tuesday, its fourth victory in last eight days. Sophomore Ali Ali leads four Zips scoring in double figures with 14.1 ppg. Junior Xavier Castaneda is averaging 13.5 ppg and a team-high 2.8 apg, while Enrique Freeman is scoring 12.2 ppg with a MAC-best 10.8 rpg.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Date: Friday, Jan. 28, 2022.
Tip-Off: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Toledo, Ohio.
Arena: Savage Arena (7,014).
Television: CBS Sports Network. Dave Ryan will provide play-by-play for broadcast with Sydney Johnson 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 38-28. Toledo has won nine of its last 11 games vs. Akron after losing seven in a row to the Zips. Eleven of the last 15 meetings between Akron and Toledo have been decided by double digits.

ROCKETS IN MAC TEAM RANKINGS
•  Toledo leads the MAC in FIVE categories; FG% (47.1), FG% defense (39.6), FT percentage (78.7), def. rebounds/game (29.7) and scoring margin (+12.3).
•  Toledo ranks second in the league in 3PTFG% (36.3), 3PTFG% defense (29.2), assists per game (14.8), assist/turnover ratio (1.33) and rebounding margin (+4.7).
•  The Rockets lead the MAC in league play in EIGHT categories: scoring offense (82.3), FG% (48.2), FG% defense (38.4), 3PTFG% (38.3), scoring margin (+15.7), assist/turnover ratio (1.48), turnover margin (plus-2.67) and defensive rpg (29.2).
•  Toledo is second in league play in FT% (81.7), assists (14.7 apg) and three-point FG% defense (27.7).
 
ROCKETS IN NCAA RANKINGS
•  Toledo ranks seventh nationally with 29.7 defensive rpg and ninth with a 78.7 FT%.
•  The Rockets are also 21st in scoring offense (80.2), 24th in rebounds per game (40.3), 27th in scoring margin (+12.4) and 30th in 3PTFG% (39.6), 3PTFG% defense (29.2) and fewest turnovers per game (11.1).
 
REBOUNDING BY COMMITTEE
•  JT Shumate (6.3), RayJ Dennis (6.1), Setric Millner Jr. (6.0), and Ryan Rollins (5.9) are each ranked in the Top 15 in MAC rebounding. Ra'Heim Moss is at 4.8 rpg.
•  Rollins ranks fifth in the MAC with a team-high 5.3 defensive rpg, while Dennis ranks seventh with 5.0 rpg.
 
POST TOUCHES
•  Toledo's current seven-game winning streak is tied for 14th in the nation. The Rockets' 11-game home winning streak is tied for 19th nationally.
•  Toledo has opened league play with an 8-1 record for the second straight season. The Rockets also opened the 2013-14 season with a 6-1 conference mark.
•  Toledo is 4-1 in conference road games this season after posting a 5-3 mark in league contests away from home last year.
•  The Rockets are 13-0 this season when scoring 70 or more points and 9-1 when allowing less than 70 points.
•  Toledo is 9-0 when its opponent commits more turnovers and 12-0 when committing 11 or less miscues.
•  Ryan Rollins has 12 20-point outings this season and has scored in double digits in 44 of 50 career games. Rollins was held under 14 points against a Division I opponent for the only time this season when he scored just five points at Richmond (Dec. 11).
•  Rollins registered career highs for free throws made (13) and free throws attempted (16) against Buffalo. Those totals are the most by a Rocket since 2017-18 MAC Player of the Year Tre'Shaun Fletcher hit 15-of-16 vs. Marshall on Dec. 9, 2017.
•  Setric Millner Jr. is averaging 16.3 ppg in his last six games. He has improved his three-point and free-throw shooting from a year ago. He has a 37.9 3FG% (25/66) and 78.8 FT% (52/66) compared to 27.3 (21/77) and 66.7 (70/105) marks last year.
•  JT Shumate ranks in the MAC's Top 15 in seven categories.  He is second with a 48.8 three-point FG%, fourth with a 55.4 FG%, fifth with an 83.9 FT%, sixth with 1.1 bpg, seventh with 2.3 offensive rpg, 11th with 15.2 ppg and 12th with 6.3 rpg
•  RayJ Dennis scored a career-high 21 points and grabbed nine boards vs. Charlotte (Nov. 22). He tallied 20 points, seven boards and five assists vs. Marshall (Dec. 21) and is fifth in the MAC with a team-high 3.7 apg and seventh with 5.0 defensive rpg.
•  Dennis leads all MAC guards and ranks 10th in the MAC with a 48.9 shooting mark.
 
A LOOK AT THE ROCKETS
     Toledo captured its ninth Mid-American Conference title in program history and registered its fifth 20-win season in the last eight years in the 2020-21 campaign.
     Toledo is ranked ninth in the latest CollegeInsider.com's Mid-Major Top 25 poll (Jan. 24). UT is also the MAC's top-ranked team in the NCAA's NET rankings (No. 61) and KenPom rankings (No. 67).
     The Rockets have produced a strong run of success in recent years and possess a 102-47 (.685) win-loss mark since the start of the 2017-18 season.
 
A RARE TRIPLE CROWN
     Toledo became just the second program in Mid-American Conference history to receive Player of Year, Coach of Year and Freshman of Year last season.
     Marreon Jackson, Ryan Rollins and Tod Kowalczyk were named Player of Year, Freshman of Year and Coach of Year, respectively.
     Eastern Michigan was the first school to be honored with all three awards when Grant Long, Lorenzo Neely and Ben Braun were the recipients in 1988.
 
HOME SWEET HOME
     Toledo has won 24 of its last 25 home contests with its only defeat in Savage Arena last year coming with an 88-81 loss to Bowling Green (Feb. 13). The Rockets were 12-1 at home last season and their .923 winning percentage was their best since going 15-0 in the 2013-14 season.
     Toledo is 44-9 (.830) at home since the start of the 2018-19 campaign.
     Toledo posted a 10-6 record on its home court in 2019-20, a 14-2 mark in 2018-19, a 12-4 record in 2016-17 and 2017-18, a 9-6 mark in 2015-16, a 10-5 ledger in 2014-15 and a perfect 15-0 mark in 2013-14.
     The Rockets' unbeaten record (15-0) at home in 2013-14 was their first since 1966-67 and just the fourth time in school history UT has accomplished the feat.
 
ON THE HORIZON
     The Rockets will play two road games next week beginning on Tuesday, Feb. 1 at 7:00 p.m. at Eastern Michigan (7-11, 2-5 MAC). The Rockets' matchup against the Eagles will be their only meeting this season vs. EMU.  Toledo will then visit Ball State (8-10, 3-4 MAC) on Friday, Feb. 4 in a 9:00 p.m. contest televised on ESPNU.