TOLEDO, Ohio - The Toledo men's basketball team (17-6, 8-2 MAC) has an opportunity to move into a first-place tie in the Mid-American Conference when it visits first-place Akron (17-6, 9-1 MAC) on Tuesday, Feb. 7. Tip-off time for the contest is 7:00 p.m. with streaming on ESPN+.

The Rockets are now tied for second place with Kent State (18-5, 8-2) after extending their winning streak to seven games with Saturday's 84-59 home win over Central Michigan. The Zips won their eighth straight game and improved to 12-0 at home last Friday with a 67-55 win over the Golden Flashes.

RayJ Dennis and Setric Millner Jr. each scored 18 points to lead UT to its victory over the Chippewas. CMU's 59 points were the lowest the Rockets have allowed this season. UT forced 21 turnovers leading to a 31-2 advantage in points off turnovers.

Toledo led from start to finish and its 33-point lead in the contest was its largest in any game this season.

Toledo ranks third nationally with a MAC-best 84.9 ppg as well as ranking 10th with 10.1 turnovers per game, 13th with a 1.51 A/TO ratio, and 16th with a 48.7 FG%. Individually, Dennis ranks third in the nation with a 3.21 A/TO ratio and 10th with 6.0 apg. JT Shumate ranks eighth nationally with a 90.9 FT%. Dennis ranks third in league scoring at 19.0 ppg, while Shumate is sixth at 17.7 ppg.

Akron leads the MAC in scoring defense (62.7 ppg) and is second in FG% defense (41.6). Senior Xavier Castaneda leads the MAC with 21.1 ppg, and junior Enrique Freeman is averaging 15.3 ppg and a league-best 11.0 rpg.

Toledo has won 10 of its last 13 meetings vs. Akron but dropped a 70-62 decision to the Zips in last year's MAC semifinals. The Rockets posted an 84-76 home victory over Akron in their lone regular-season meeting in 2021-22.
 
TOLEDO VS. AKRON
Date: Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023.
Tip-Off: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Akron, Ohio.
Arena: Rhodes Arena (5,500).
Television: ESPN+. Michael Reghi will provide play-by-play for broadcast with Jeff Phelps 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 39-29. Toledo has won 10 of its last 13 games vs. Akron after losing seven in a row to the Zips. Toledo is 4-2 in its last six games in Rhodes Arena with one of the losses a 95-94 (OT) defeat in 2021.

ROCKETS VS. THE ZIPS
•  Ra'Heim Moss averaged 16.5 ppg and 7.0 rpg last year vs. Akron, including a career-high 20-point, seven-rebound and five-assist outing in an 84-76 home win.
•  JT Shumate is averaging 13.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg and 1.3 bpg with a 57.6 FG%, 70.0 3PTFG% (7-of-10) and 72.7 FT% (8-of-11) in four games vs. Akron. Shumate scored 25 points in a 91-76 home victory in 2021.
 
SEVEN-GAME WINNING STREAK DATA
•  Toledo has a plus-12.6 scoring margin during its current seven-game win streak.
•  The Rockets are averaging 85.7 ppg with a 49.2 FG% and 39.1 3PTFG%.
•  Toledo also has a plus-5.4 turnover margin and is averaging 9.0 turnovers per game.
•  RayJ Dennis leads UT with 20.9 ppg and is followed by JT Shumate (16.1 ppg), Setric Millner Jr. (15.6 ppg) and Dante Maddox Jr. (12.1 ppg).
•  Millner Jr. has a team-best 45.8 3PTFG% (11-of-24) during this stretch.
 
PROTECTING THE BALL
Toledo ranks 10th in the nation with a MAC-low 10.1 turnovers per game. In its last four games, UT has committed just 6.3 miscues per game, with four vs. EMU (Jan. 24), five vs. Bowling Green (Jan. 28), and eight at Miami (Jan. 31) and vs. CMU (Feb. 4).

Toledo is committing a league-low 8.6 turnovers/game in MAC play with Kent State (9.50) and Akron (10.6) the only other schools committing less than 11.0 miscues per game in league play. The Rockets also have an impressive 1.78 A/TO ratio in conference action with Akron second at 1.26 followed by KSU at 1.19.

TEAM TIDBITS
•  Toledo has a seven-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 the 2020-21 campaign.
•  Toledo is looking to become the first school to win three straight outright league titles since Cincinnati won four in a row from the 1947-48 through 1950-51 seasons.
•  Toledo is the only MAC school to win 13 or more league games four of last five years.
•  Toledo is 3-0 in games decided by five points or less. UT posted a 69-68 win over Canisius (Dec. 10), an 81-78 win at Miami (Jan. 31) and an 84-79 win over EMU (Jan. 24).
•  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.
 
ROCKETS IN THE NCAA RANKINGS
•  Toledo ranks THIRD in the nation with 84.9 ppg, trailing only Gonzaga (85.7) and Oral Roberts (85.2).
•  The Rockets are also in the Top 20 in fewest TO's/game (10th/10.1), A/TO ratio (13th/1.51), FG% (16th/48.7), effective FG% (17th/55.6), and 3PTFG% (20th/38.2).
•  RayJ Dennis ranks third with a 3.21 A/TO ratio and 10th with a career-high 6.0 apg.
•  JT Shumate ranks eighth with a 90.9 FT%.
 
ROCKETS IN THE MAC RANKINGS
•  UT tops the MAC with 84.9 ppg, nearly six points better than Buffalo (79.3), and is also first in FG% (48.7), 3PTFG% (38.2), assists (15.3 apg), A/TO ratio (1.51) and fewest TO/game (10.1).
•  UT is the only school to have three players among the MAC's Top 15 scoring leaders — RayJ Dennis (19.0/3rd), JT Shumate (17.7/6th), and Setric Millner Jr. (15.0 ppg/15th).
•  Dennis leads the MAC with 6.0 apg and a 3.21 assist/turnover ratio.
•  Shumate is the only player in the MAC to rank in the Top 10 in FG% (55.4/6th), 3PTFG% (41.6%/6th) and FT% (90.9/3rd).
•  Dennis is tied for the MAC lead with 12 20-point outings with Bowling Green's Leon Ayers III. Shumate ranks third in the MAC with 11 20-point contests.
•  Shumate is tied for third with 1.2 bpg with Akron's Enrique Freeman.
•  Dante Maddox Jr. is fourth with a team-high 42.4 3PTFG% with Shumate sixth at 41.6%.
•  Ra'Heim Moss is third with 1.7 spg and and Dennis is tied for ninth with 1.4 spg.
 
ON THE HORIZON
     Toledo will play two of its next three games on the road. Following Tuesday's game at Akron (17-6, 9-1 MAC) on Tuesday, Feb. 7, the Rockets will travel to Ypsilanti, Mich. to face Eastern Michigan (6-17, 3-7 MAC) on Saturday, Feb. 11. The Rockets will then host Miami (7-16, 1-9 MAC) on Tuesday, Feb. 14 before visiting Bowling Green (10-13, 4-6 MAC) on Saturday, Feb. 18.