TOLEDO, Ohio - The Toledo men's basketball team (10-4, 2-1 MAC) looks to build some early-season momentum in Mid-American Conference play when it hosts Northern Illinois (3-7, 0-0 MAC) on Saturday, Jan. 8. Tip-off time in Savage Arena is set for 2:00 p.m. with streaming on ESPN3.
       
The Rockets registered an 82-54 victory at Central Michigan on Tuesday night and have held each of their last four opponents to a 33.3 field-goal percentage or less. Sophomore Ryan Rollins scored 21 points against the Chippewas to lead four Rockets in double figures. Redshirt freshman Ra'Heim Moss tallied a season-high 13 points and three steals to join Rollins in double digits.
       
Rollins leads the Rockets with a MAC-best 19.4 ppg. He  also ranks 14th nationally with 2.3 spg and has scored 20 or more points in eight of 14 contests. Junior JT Shumate ranks second on the team with 14.6 ppg and is grabbing a team-best 7.4 rpg. Also scoring in double digits are juniors Setric Millner Jr. (13.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg) and RayJ Dennis (11.4 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 3.8 apg).

Northern Illinois will be playing its first conference contest under first-year head coach Rashon Burno and has been idle since suffering a 61-60 setback at UIC on Dec. 19. Sophomore guard Keshaun Williams and senior Trendon Hankerson are the only Huskies scoring in double digits with 13.9 ppg and 10.4 ppg, respectively.

Toledo faced NIU just once in the 2020-21 campaign and posted a 78-55  home victory on Dec. 22. Spencer Littleson topped the Rockets with 18 points, while Rollins notched a double-double with 16 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022.
Tip-Off: 2:00 p.m.
Location: Toledo, Ohio.
Arena: Savage Arena (7,014).
Television: ESPN3. Mason Lowry will provide play-by-play for broadcast with Rhett Boyd 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 49-31. The Rockets posted a 78-55 victory over NIU in the two teams' only meeting last season. The second matchup against the Huskies was Toledo's only game canceled due to Covid last year.
 
ROCKETS IN MAC TEAM RANKINGS
•  Toledo tops the MAC and ranks 10th nationally in defensive rpg (29.4). The Rockets also lead the MAC and rank 37th nationally in FG% defense (39.1).
•  Toledo ranks second in the league in 3PTFG% defense (29.1) assist/turnover ratio (1.23) and is third in scoring margin (+11.2), rebounding margin (+5.9), assists/game (14.1) and offensive rpg (11.6).
 
ROCKETS IN MAC INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS
•  Ryan Rollins leads the MAC with 19.4 ppg. Ohio's Mark Sears is second with 19.1 ppg.
•  Rollins also tops the MAC with 2.3 spg and is ninth with 3.0 apg.
•  JT Shumate paces the conference with a 51.9 3PTFG% and ranks fourth with a 55.4 field-goal mark and 7.4 rpg. He also is ninth with an 80.5 FT% after knocking down his last 14 attempts at the charity stripe.
•  RayJ Dennis ranks fourth in the MAC with 3.8 apg.
•  Four Rockets — RayJ Dennis (4.9/8th), JT Shumate (4.8/9th), Ryan Rollins (4.5/T-11th) and Setric Millner Jr. (4.2/13th) — rank among the MAC leaders in defensive rebounds per game.
 
ROCKETS VS. HUSKIES
•  Sophomore Ryan Rollins registered a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds in the Rockets' only game last year vs. NIU
•  Junior Setric Millner, Jr. tallied nine points, eight rebounds and six assists vs. NIU
 
POST TOUCHES
•  Toledo has held each of its last four opponents under a 33.3 shooting mark. Marshall and Western Michigan both shot 32.1 percent from the field, while Kent State and Central Michigan each posted a 33.3 mark.
•  Rollins has scored in double digits in 38 of 44 career games and leads the MAC with 2.3 spg. Rollins is averaging 3.0 spg in his last nine contests.
•  Ryan Rollins was held under 14 points for the only time this season against a Division I opponent when he scored just five points at Richmond (Dec. 11).
•  Setric Millner Jr. scored a career-high 27 points on 9-of-13 shooting vs. Charlotte and poured in 25 points with a career-high four three-pointers at Richmond.
•  JT Shumate ranks in the MAC's Top 15 in six categories.  He leads the MAC with a 51.9 three-point FG% and is fourth with 7.5 rpg and a 55.7 FG%, fifth with 2.7 offensive rpg, tied for eighth with 4.8 defensive rpg, and 12th with 14.8 ppg.
•  Ra'Heim Moss tallied a season-high 13 points and three steals at CMU (Jan. 4) and is averaging 9.3 ppg in his last four games.  He has scored in double digits in three of those games.
•  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 fourth in the MAC with a team-high 3.9 apg and tied for eighth with 4.8 defensive rpg.
 
HOME SWEET HOME
     Toledo has won 21 of its last 22 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 41-9 (.820) at home since the start of the 2018-19 campaign.
 
ON THE HORIZON
     Toledo will travel to Oxford, Ohio to face Miami (7-5, 1-0 MAC) on Tuesday, Jan. 11 at 7:00 p.m. The RedHawks have had their last two MAC contests postponed and are scheduled to host Bowling Green on Saturday, Jan. 8.