TOLEDO, Ohio - The Toledo men's basketball team (26-8, 17-3 MAC in 2021-22) begins its 108th season on Monday, Nov. 7 when it hosts Missouri Valley Conference foe Valparaiso (14-18, 6-12 MVC). The Rockets and Beacons will tip off at 7:00 p.m. in Savage Arena with the game being streamed on ESPN3.
        Toledo is ranked No. 4 in the CollegeInsiders.com Mid-Major Preseason Poll and will be looking to continue a run of success that has seen the Rockets post a 112-51 (.687) record over the last five years. Toledo's 112 wins during this time period rank 28th in the country. In addition, the Rockets' 47 wins over the last two years rank 18th in the nation.
        Toledo returns four starters from last year's squad which repeated as outright Mid-American Conference champions. The lone departure was sophomore guard Ryan Rollins, who was drafted by the Golden State Warriors in the second round of the NBA draft after leading the Rockets with 18.9 ppg.
        Senior forwards Setric Millner Jr. and JT Shumate were each named to the Preseason All-MAC squad and are the Rockets' top two returning scorers after averaging 15.0 ppg last season. Shumate led Toledo with 6.1 rpg, 1.3 bpg, a 55.4 FG%, a 48.2 3PTFG% and an 82.0 FT%. Millner averaged 5.8 rpg to go along with a 48.7 FG%, a 37.4 3FG% and a 78.0 FT%.
        Junior RayJ Dennis will lead Toledo's offense after averaging 12.7 ppg, 5.6 rpg and 4.1 apg in his first season as a Rocket.  He will be joined in the backcourt by MAC All-Freshman Team guard Ra'Heim Moss (8.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg) as well as transfers Tyler Cochran (11.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg at Ball State) and Dante Maddox (6.8 ppg at CSU Fullerton).
        Valparaiso returns its top two scorers from a year ago with seniors Ben Krikke (14.2 ppg) and Kobe King (14.0 ppg) back in the fold. The Beacons were picked to finish ninth in the 12-team Missouri Valley Conference's preseason poll.

GAME INFORMATION
Date: Monday, Nov. 7, 2022.
Tip-Off: 7:00 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 8-6. Toledo won five of the first six meetings from 1947-50 before Valpo won four straight from 1991-2009. The Rockets have defeated the Crusaders in each of the last two seasons.

A LOOK AT THE ROCKETS
• Toledo has registered four 20-win seasons in the last five years as well as six 20-win campaigns in the last nine seasons. The Rockets broke their school record last year with 17 MAC victories and their 26 overall wins were second in school history, one behind the 2013-14's squad.
• Toledo won 15 of its 17 league games last season by eight points or more. In the 2020-21 season, 13 of Toledo's 15 MAC victories were by nine points or more.
• Toledo is ranked No. 4 in the CollegeInsider.com's Mid-Major Top 25 Preseason Poll and also received one vote in the Associated Press Top 25 Preseason Poll.
 
TEAM TIDBITS
•  Toledo is the only MAC school to win 13 or more league games four of last five years.
•  Toledo scored 82 or more points in 15 of 20 MAC games last year.
•  Toledo was 8-2 in conference road games last season after posting a 6-3 mark in league contests away from home in the 2020-21 campaign.
•  Toledo committed the fewest turnovers (9.65/game) and posted a MAC-best 1.69 A/TO ratio in league play last year.
•  The Rockets were 22-1 last season when scoring 70 or more points and 14-1 when allowing less than 70 points.
•  Toledo's 47 victories over the last two seasons is tied for 18th in the nation and was one win away from matching the most wins in back-to-back seasons by a Rocket squad - 23-11 in 2017-18 and 25-8 in 2018-19.
 
HOME SWEET HOME
     Toledo has won 29 of its last 32 home contests with its only defeats in Savage Arena coming vs. Dayton and Kent State last year and Bowling Green in the 2020-21 campaign.
     The Rockets were 13-2 at home last season and 12-1 at home in 2020-21.
     The Rockets' unbeaten home mark (15-0) under Coach Kowalczyk in 2013-14 was their first since 1966-67 and just the fourth time in school history UT accomplished the feat.
  
ON THE HORIZON
        Toledo will face Conference USA favorite UAB in the Barstool Sports Invitational in Philadelphia, Pa. on Friday, Nov. 11. The game will be played at the Wells Fargo Center with a tipoff time of 5:00 p.m.