TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo men's basketball (23-6, 14-2 MAC) travels to Mt. Pleasant, Mich. on Tuesday, Feb. 28 to face Central Michigan (10-19, 5-11 MAC) with an opportunity to clinch a share of its third-straight Mid-American Conference championship. The Rockets will tip off against the Chippewas at 7:00 p.m. with streaming on ESPN+.

Toledo leads second-place Kent State (23-6, 13-3) by a game in the MAC standings after extending its winning streak to 13 games on Saturday with a resounding 101-71 victory over Buffalo. The Rockets' 13-game winning streak ranks second nationally and is one shy of their longest ever in a single season, trailing only a 14-game unbeaten stretch from Dec. 3, 1966-Feb. 1, 1967.

Six Rockets scored 14 points or more in Saturday's win over the Bulls before 6,014 fans on Senior Day. Dante Maddox Jr. led the way offensively with 18 points, marking the second time this season he has led Toledo offensively. RayJ Dennis and JT Shumate each tallied 16 points, Setric Millner Jr. added 15 points, and EJ Farmer and Ra'Heim Moss contributed 14 points apiece.

Toledo ranks second nationally with a MAC-best 85.2 ppg and also ranks in the nation's Top 10 in four more categories. Individually, Dennis ranks ninth with a 3.09 A/TO ratio and 13th with 5.9 apg. Shumate ranks 26th nationally with an 88.1 FT%. Dennis ranks third in MAC scoring at 18.9 ppg, while Shumate is fifth at 17.2 ppg.

In the Rockets' 84-59 win over CMU on Feb. 4, Millner Jr. and Dennis each scored 18 points. Toledo forced the Chippewas into 21 turnovers and committed just eight miscues en route to building a 49-21 halftime cushion.

Central Michigan is tied with Eastern Michigan and Miami for eighth place and the final spot in this year's MAC Tournament. UT has a four-game winning streak vs. CMU.
 
TOLEDO VS. CENTRAL MICHIGAN
Date: Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023.
Tip-Off: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Mt. Pleasant, Mich.
Arena: McGuirk Arena (5,300).
Television: ESPN+. Adam Jaksa will provide play-by-play for broadcast with Matt DeVries 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
Toledo leads 69-40. Toledo has won 11 of its last 13 games vs. CMU and has won four in a row vs. the Chippewas. The Rockets have posted double-digit victories in eight of their 11 wins during this stretch.
 
13-GAME WINNING STREAK DATA
•  Toledo has a plus-13.8 scoring margin during its current 13-game win streak.
•  The Rockets are averaging 86.1 ppg with a 49.9 FG% and 41.4 3PTFG%.
•  Toledo also has a plus-4.2 turnover margin and is averaging 8.8 turnovers per game.
•  RayJ Dennis leads UT with 19.9 ppg and is followed by Setric Millner Jr. (16.2 ppg), JT Shumate (15.6 ppg), and Dante Maddox Jr. (13.3 ppg).
•  Five Rockets - Dennis (52.9%), Millner Jr. (52.7%), EJ Farmer (52.3%), Maddox Jr. (52.1%) and Shumate (50.4%) - are shooting over 50% from the field during this stretch.
•  Maddox Jr. has a team-best 49.2 3PTFG% (30-of-61) with Millner Jr. at 45.7% (21-of-46).
 
ROCKETS IN THE NCAA RANKINGS
•  The Rockets' 13-game winning streak is SECOND-longest in the nation, trailing only Oral Roberts (14). UT's SIX-game road winning streak is tied for FIFTH-longest nationally. Houston is first with a 10-game road streak.
•  Toledo ranks SECOND in the nation with 85.2 ppg, trailing only Gonzaga (87.4).
•  Toledo is also in the Top 10 in FOUR more categories: 3PTFG% (7th/39.5), A/TO ratio (7th/1.57), Fewest TO's/game (9th/9.8), FG% (10th/49.1). UT also ranks in the Top 25 in Effective FG% (11th/56.2), Winning % (14th/79.3), and FTs made per game (25th/16.2).
•  RayJ Dennis ranks ninth with a 3.09 A/TO ratio and 13th with a career-high 5.9 apg.
•  JT Shumate ranks 26th with an 88.1 FT%.
 
ROCKETS IN THE MAC RANKINGS
•  UT tops the MAC with 85.2 ppg, nearly seven points better than Ohio (78.3), and is also first in FG% (49.1), 3PTFG% (39.5), assists/game (15.4), A/TO ratio (1.57), and fewest TO/game (9.8). The Rockets are also second in scoring margin (+9.0), free-throw percentage (76.3), three-point field goals made (8.7/game) and turnover margin (+3.0).
•  UT is the only school to have three players among the MAC's Top 15 scoring leaders — RayJ Dennis (18.9/3rd), JT Shumate (17.2/6th), and Setric Millner Jr. (15.4 ppg/13th).
•  Dennis leads the MAC with 5.9 apg and a 3.09 assist/turnover ratio.
•  Dennis is second in the MAC with 13 20-point outings. Shumate is tied for third in the MAC with 12 20-point contests.
•  Shumate leads the MAC with 1.2 bpg.
•  Dante Maddox Jr. is second with a team-high 45.8 3PTFG%. Maddox Jr. ranks second in league play with a 48.6 3PTFG%, just ahead of Millner Jr. in third at 46.7%.
•  Ra'Heim Moss is sixth with 1.55 spg, and Dennis is seventh with 1.45 pg.
 
TEAM TIDBITS
•  Toledo is looking to become the first current MAC member to win three straight outright league titles. Cincinnati won four in a row from the 1947-48 through 1950-51 seasons.
•  Toledo's 70 victories over the last three seasons are tied for 13th nationally (as of 2/26) and are the most ever by the Rockets in a three-year period.
•  UT's 13-game MAC win streak is its LONGEST in a single season and ONE shy of the overall school MAC record set from Jan. 26, 2000-Jan. 13, 2001 and Feb. 4, 2006-Jan. 27, 2007.
•  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 each of the last THREE seasons. Other schools to do so are Baylor, Belmont, Drake, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas, Morehead State, UAB, UCLA, USC.
•  Since the start of the 2020-21 season, Toledo is 46-9 (.836) in league play. The Rockets are 26-3 (.897) in MAC home games and 20-6 (.769) in MAC road games.
•  Eleven of Toledo's 14 MAC victories this season are by seven points or more. Last year, UT won 15 of its 17 league triumphs 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 the only MAC school to win 13 or more league games five of the last six years.
•  Toledo has an eight-game win streak or longer in three straight years. UT registered a nine-game win streak last year and an eight-game unbeaten stretch in 2020-21.
•  The Rockets have scored 90 or more points on NINE occasions and have topped the 100-point mark FOUR times. Toledo scored 112 points vs. Oakland (Nov. 16) to match its most points ever scored under Coach Kowalczyk.

ROCKETS VS. THE CHIPPEWAS
•  JT Shumate is averaging 14.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg and 1.2 bpg with a 55.4 FG% in six games vs. CMU. Shumate scored 29 points in last year's 68-66 home win over CMU.
•  Setric Millner Jr. is averaging 13.8 ppg and 5.2 rpg in six games vs. CMU. He scored 22 points in last year's MAC Quarterfinal win over the Chippewas.
•  Ra'Heim Moss has a 54.5 three-point FG% (6-of-11) in four games vs. CMU.
  
ON THE HORIZON
     The Rockets will travel to Muncie, Ind. for their final regular-season game at fourth-place Ball State (20-9, 11-5 MAC) on Friday, March 3 at 6:00 p.m. Toledo dropped a 90-83 decision to the Cardinals in Savage Arena on Jan. 3.