TOLEDO, Ohio - The Toledo men's basketball team (6-6) opens its 73rd Mid-American Conference season on Tuesday, Jan. 2 when it travels to Athens, Ohio to face Ohio University (6-6). Tip-off time is set for 7:00 p.m. for the contest that will be televised nationally on ESPNU.

The three-time defending MAC champion Rockets are looking to continue their historical run that saw them become the first current league member to capture three consecutive league titles. UT holds a 48-9 (.842 record) in conference play the last three seasons, including a 16-2 mark last year that included a 17-game win streak prior to the MAC Championship Game.

Toledo is looking to rebound from losses to Vermont and West Virginia before Christmas that snapped a three-game winning streak. Ra'Heim Moss paced the Rockets with 21 points against the Mountaineers. UT fell behind by 18 points in the first half before rallying to within two points on several occasions in the second half.

Moss is leading the Rockets offensively with a career-high scoring mark of 15.6 ppg. Dante Maddox Jr. ranks second with a career-high 15.0 ppg, while Javan Simmons is also averaging 12.4 ppg and is leading the team with a 57.9 FG% and 1.2 bpg. Tyler Cochran is averaging 12.3 ppg, a team-high 6.1 rpg and a team-best 2.5 spg.

Ohio has lost four of its last five games by six points or less, including a 72-69 neutral-court defeat against Davidson last Saturday in Cleveland, Ohio.

Jaylin Hunter leads a balanced Bobcat attack with 14.4 ppg, He is joined by Shereef Mitchell (13.4 ppg), Elmore James (12.0 ppg) and AJ Clayton (11.6 ppg).

The Rockets won both of their meetings last year vs. Ohio with a 90-75 home victory and an 82-75 triumph in the MAC semifinals. UT has won nine of its last 10 meetings against the Bobcats, including five in a row on the road.

GAME INFORMATION
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024.
Tip-Off: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Athens, Ohio.
Arena: The Convo (13,080).
Television: ESPNU. Eric Rothman will provide play-by-play for the broadcast with Noah Savage serving as analyst.
Radio: Rocket Radio Network. WSPD (1370 AM) in Toledo. Mark Beier will provide play-by-play for broadcast with Jay Lehman serving as analyst.
 
SERIES
Ohio leads 72-66. Toledo has won nine of its last 10 games vs. Ohio, including its last five visits to Athens. UT won both meetings last year with a 90-75 home win and an 82-75 victory in the MAC semifinals.
 
POST TOUCHES
•  Junior Ra'Heim Moss has scored in double digits in 11 of 12 games this season after scoring in double digits on 13 occasions last year.  He has now scored in double digits 37 times in his Rocket career and leads UT with 53 FTs made and 70 FTs attempted.
•  Junior Dante Maddox Jr. ranks second in team scoring with a career-high 15.0 ppg. He also is tied for third in the MAC with 1.8 spg and his NINE three-point field-goal attempts vs. Marshall were a career high.
•  Junior Tyler Cochran leads the MAC and ranks 17th nationally with a team-high 2.5 spg. He also leads the team with 6.1 rpg. In his last five games, Cochran is averaging 18.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg and 3.0 spg and is shooting 44.4% (4-of-9) from three-point range.
•  Redshirt freshman Javan Simmons is third on the team with 12.3 ppg and tied his season high with 15 points vs. Marshall (Dec. 13). He has scored in double digits in 10 of his first 12 collegiate contests and has a team-best 57.9 FG%.
•  Simmons has shot 50 percent or better from the field in 11 of 12 games.
•  Junior Andre Lorentsson is tied for second in the MAC with a team-best 50.0 3PTFG% (15-of-30). Lorentsson scored a career-high 17 points (6-8 FG, 4-5 3FG) vs. New Mexico (Nov. 21).
 
TEAM TIDBITS
•  The Rockets are the only MAC school to have four players ranked in the league's Top 20 in scoring with Ra'Heim Moss (15.6/10th), Dante Maddox Jr. (15.0/11th), Javan Simmons (12.4/18th) and Tyler Cochran (12.3/19th).
•  Toledo is 3-0 in one-point games this season with road wins over Wright State and Oakland and a home victory over Marshall.
•  UT has posted one-point wins in two of its three road games - 78-77 at Wright State and 69-68 at Oakland.
•  Ten of the Rockets' 12 games have been decided by 10 points or less. UT is 4-1 in games decided by 1-5 points and 1-4 in games decided by 6-10 points.
•  Toledo has registered FIVE 20-win seasons in the last SIX years. In addition, the Rockets are one of 11 programs nationally to win 21 or more games each of the last THREE seasons. Other schools to do so are Baylor, Belmont, Drake, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas, Morehead State, UAB, UCLA, and USC.
•  Toledo is the only MAC school to win 13 or more league games five of last six years.
•  Since the start of the 2020-21 season, Toledo is 48-9 (.842) in league play. The Rockets are 26-3 (.897) in MAC home games and 22-6 (.786) in MAC road games.
•  Toledo finished 8-1 in league road games last season. UT was 8-2 in MAC road games in 2021-22 after posting a 6-3 mark in MAC contests away from home in 2020-21.

ROAD WARRIORS
     The Rockets are 2-1 in road games this season and have posted a 28-15 (.651) win-loss mark in road games since the start of the 2020-21 campaign. Toledo possesses a 52-35 (.598) win-loss mark on enemy courts since the start of the 2017-18 season.
 
ON THE HORIZON
     Toledo will play the second of three straight games on national television when it hosts Miami on Friday, Jan. 5 at 7:00 p.m. on the CBS Sports Network. The Rockets' game at Kent State on Tuesday, Jan. 9 at 7:00 p.m. is also on the CBS Sports Network.