TOLEDO, Ohio - Toledo (25-6, 17-3 MAC) opens play in the 2022 Mid-American Conference Tournament as the No. 1 seed on Thursday, March 10 against No. 8 seed Central Michigan (7-22, 6-12 MAC). The contest will be televised on ESPN+ and tip off in Cleveland's Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse at 11:00 a.m.

For fans that can't make it to Cleveland, the Blarney Irish Pub (601 Monroe St.) will host Toledo's Official MAC Tournament Watch Party for each round of the tournament.  The Blarney will be offering food and drink specials during the watch party. Fans can enjoy Bud Light draft specials throughout the games. 

The Rockets bring a five-game winning streak into postseason play during which they are scoring 87.2 ppg to go along with a 52.2 FG% and 40.9 three-point FG%. Toledo has excelled defensively during this stretch too, holding opponents to 64.2 ppg and a 36.9 FG%.

The Rockets have won back-to-back outright MAC titles for the first time in program history and captured consecutive league crowns for the first time since 1979-81. UT set a school record with 17 MAC victories this season and its 25 wins are tied for second most in program annals, two behind the 2013-14 squad.

Toledo capped off its season with a dominating 96-56 win over Bowling Green, its largest margin victory ever over its arch-rivals. Junior JT Shumate paced Toledo with 22 points, junior Setric Millner Jr. poured in 19, and sophomore Ryan Rollins scored 18. Redshirt freshman Ra'Heim Moss tallied 15 points, 10 rebounds and a season-high seven assists. Junior RayJ Dennis finished with 12 points and a career-high nine assists.

Rollins ranks third in the MAC with a team-high 19.2 ppg and 1.8 spg and is tied for the team lead with 6.1 rpg. Shumate is second with 15.7 ppg and also grabbing 6.1 rpg. Millner Jr. (15.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg) and Dennis (12.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 4.2 apg) are also scoring in double digits.

Central Michigan has lost eight of its last nine games with its only victory an 83-69 win at Miami (Feb. 24). During the stretch, the Chippewas nearly pulled out wins over the Rockets (68-66 loss), Kent State (73-71 loss) and Akron (57-56 loss). Freshman Kevin Miller leads CMU with 13.1 ppg and 4.5 apg.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Date: Thursday, March 10, 2022.
Tip-Off: 11:00 a.m.
Location: Cleveland, Ohio.
Arena: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (19,432).
Television: ESPN+. Michael Reghi will provide play-by-play for broadcast with Murry Bartow serving as analyst. Dannie Rogers will be the sideline reporter.
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 67-40. Toledo has won nine of its last 11 games vs. CMU after sweeping the season series this year. Toledo has posted double-digit victories in seven of its nine wins during this stretch.

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 with 17 MAC victories and are tied for second for most wins (25) in a season, two behind the most ever in the 2013-14 campaign.
     Toledo won 15 of its 17 league games by eight points or more. Last year, 13 of Toledo's 15 MAC victories were by nine points or more.
     Toledo is ranked No. 6 in the latest CollegeInsider.com's Mid-Major Top 25 poll (March 7). UT is also the MAC's top-ranked team in the NCAA's NET rankings (No. 65) and KenPom rankings (No. 75) for a second-straight season.
 
ROCKETS IN NCAA RANKINGS
•  Toledo ranks in the Top 30 nationally in NINE categories (as of March 6): 30.0 def. rpg (3rd), 81.5 ppg (6th), 40.6 rpg (9th), +13.2 scoring margin (11th), 1.50 A/TO ratio (14th), 48.5 FG% (15th), 76.9 FT% (21st), 39.7 opponent FG% (23rd) and 10.5 turnovers/game (27th).
•  JT Shumate is 19th with a 57.4 FG%.
•  Toledo is one of five programs to lead its conference in both FG% and FG% defense.
 
ROCKETS IN MAC RANKINGS
•  Toledo leads the MAC in EIGHT categories: scoring offense (81.6 ppg), FG% (48.5), FG% defense (39.7), three-point FG% (36.5), scoring margin (+13.2), def. rebounds/game (30.0), assists per game (15.8) and A/TO ratio (1.50).
•  Toledo is second with a 76.9 FT% and a plus-5.8 rebound margin.
•  Toledo leads the MAC in league play in EIGHT categories: 82.8 ppg, 49.4 FG%, 39.4 FG% defense, 36.7 3PTFG%, plus-13.9 scoring margin, 15.8 apg, 1.63 A/TO ratio and 29.7 def. rpg.
•  All five Rocket starters rank among the MAC leaders in FG%. JT Shumate (57.4/4th), RayJ Dennis (50.8/7th), Ra'Heim Moss (50.8/7th), Setric Millner Jr. (48.5/12th)& Ryan Rollins (48.2/13th).
•  JT Shumate (83.9/4th), Ryan Rollins (80.7/6th) and Setric Millner Jr. (80.4/7th) each are in the MAC's Top 10 in FT%.
 
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.
•  Toledo was 8-2 in conference road games this season after posting a 6-3 mark in league contests away from home last year.
•  Toledo committed the fewest turnovers (9.65/game) and posted a MAC-best 1.69 A/TO ratio in league play.
•  The Rockets are 21-1 this season when scoring 70 or more points and 14-1 when allowing less than 70 points.
•  Toledo's 46 victories over the last two seasons is tied with Kansas, Illinois, Morehead State, UAB and Winthrop for ninth in the nation (through games played March 6).
 
POST TOUCHES
•  Ryan Rollins leads the MAC with 18 20-point games, two more than Ohio's Mark Sears.
•  Rollins now has 1,005 points and is the fourth Rocket ever to score 1,000 points in his first two seasons, joining Tom Kozelko (1970-72), Steve Mix (1966-68) and Rian Pearson (2011-13).
•  Rollins is the only player in the nation averaging at least 19.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 3.5 apg and 1.5 spg. He tallied 15 points, a career-high 16 rebounds and eight assists vs. Ohio (Feb. 8), the third time this season he has nearly registered a triple-double.
•  JT Shumate ranks in the MAC's Top 15 in seven categories. He is first with a 51.2 three-point FG%, third with 1.3 bpg, fourth with a 57.4 FG% and an 83.9 FT%, tied for eighth with 2.1 offensive rpg, 10th with 15.7 ppg, and tied for 13th with 6.2 rpg.
•  Shumate blocked a career-high seven shots vs. Ohio (Feb. 8) for the second most ever by a Rocket in a MAC game. He leads the MAC in blocks in overall (1.3) and league (1.6) play.
•  Shumate has shot 50 percent or higher in 10 of his last 11 games and is shooting 65.3 percent (32-of-49) in his last five contests.
•  Setric Millner Jr. scored a career-high 28 points (11-of-14 FG, 5-of-6 3FG) at WMU (Feb. 22) and tied his career high with five triples. Millner also has two more outings with 25 or more points: 27 points vs. Charlotte (Nov. 22) and 25 at Richmond (Dec. 11).
•  Millner buried a career-high five three-pointers at Ball State (Feb. 4) and has improved his three-point and free-throw shooting from last season. He has a 38.3 3FG% (46/120) and an 80.4 FT% (74/92) compared to 27.3 (21/77) and 66.7 (70/105) marks last year.
•  Millner has been red-hot in his last four games, averaging 21.3 ppg to go along with a 66.7 FG% (32-of-48) and 56.5 3PTFG% (13-of-23).
•  RayJ Dennis tallied career-high 22 points as well as eight boards and eight assists at NIU (Feb. 12) followed by a 21-point outing vs. Kent State (Feb. 15). In last Friday's win over Bowling Green, he tallied 12 points and a career-high nine assists with one turnover.
•  Dennis has scored in double digits in a career-high 11 straight games during which he has a 53.7 FG% and scoring 14.4 ppg.
•  RayJ Dennis, Ra'Heim Moss and Ryan Rollins lead all MAC guards and rank seventh, eighth and 13th in the MAC with 50.8, 50.8 and 48.2 FG%'s, respectively. The trio also leads the Rockets in rebounding in MAC play with Rollins at 6.8 rpg, Moss at 6.1 and Dennis at 5.8.
 • Moss leads the MAC in league play with a 2.78 assist/turnover ratio and scored a season-high 20 points and grabbed seven boards vs. Akron (Jan. 28).
•  Moss also has three double-doubles - 15 pts. and 10 reb. at EMU (Feb. 1); 10 pts. and season-high 13 reb. vs. Miami (Feb. 26); and 15 pts., 10 reb. & career-high 7 asst. vs. BGSU (March 4).
 
TOLEDO RANKING AMONG TOP 30 IN WINS IN LAST FOUR-PLUS YEARS
     Toledo's 111 wins since the start of the 2017-18 season is tied for 30th in the country (thru games played March 6). The Rockets were 23-11 in 2017-18, 25-8 in 2018-19, 17-15 in 2019-20 and 21-9 in 2020-21.
     Toledo ranks second in the MAC during this stretch, trailing only Buffalo's total of 114 victories. Kent State is third with 94 wins. The Rockets are also the only MAC school to win 13 or more league games in four of the last four five seasons.
 
REBOUNDING BY COMMITTEE
•  Toledo is the only school in the nation with five players averaging 5.0 rpg or more.
•  The Rockets rank third nationally with 30.0 defensive rpg, ninth with 40.6 rpg and 31st with a plus-5.8 rebounding margin
•  Ryan Rollins (6.2), JT Shumate (6.1), RayJ Dennis (6.0) and Setric Millner Jr. (5.9) and are each ranked in the Top 16 in MAC rebounding. Ra'Heim Moss is at 5.5 rpg.
  
HIGH-SCORING TRIO
     Toledo's Ryan Rollins, JT Shumate and Setric Millner Jr. make up the top scoring trio in the MAC with 49.9 ppg. Buffalo's trio of Jeenathan Williams, Ronaldo Segu and Josh Mballa ranks second at 47.7 ppg.
 
ON THE HORIZON
        If Toledo defeats Central Michigan in the MAC quarterfinals, the Rockets will face the winner of No. 4 seed Akron (21-9, 14-6 MAC) and No. 5 seed Buffalo (19-10, 13-6 MAC) in the MAC semifinals on Friday, March 11 at 5:00 p.m. The contest will be televised on the CBS Sports Network.
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