TOLEDO, Ohio - The Toledo men's basketball (11-6, 5-0 MAC) looks to remain at the top of the Mid-American Conference standings and extend its league-record 20-game conference regular-season winning streak on Friday, Jan. 19 when it travels to Mt. Pleasant, Mich. to face Central Michigan (8-9, 3-2 MAC). The contest will be televised nationally on the CBS Sports Network at 7:00 p.m.

The Rockets are currently tied for first place in the MAC with Akron (13-4, 5-0 MAC), one game in front of Bowling Green (13-4, 4-1 MAC) and Western Michigan (7-10, 4-1 MAC). The Chippewas are alone in fifth place.

Dante Maddox Jr. scored a team-high 21 points in Tuesday's 77-66 home victory over Buffalo. Joining Maddox in double figures were Javan Simmons (career-high 20 pts., 10-of-13 FG), Ra'Heim Moss (18 pts., 9 reb., 7 asst.) and Tyler Cochran (11 pts., team-high 10 reb.).

Moss is leading UT offensively with a career-high scoring mark of 16.4 ppg. Maddox ranks second with a career-high 15.5 ppg, while Cochran is averaging 12.9 ppg, a team-high 6.4 rpg and a team-best 2.1 spg. Simmons is also averaging 12.5 ppg and ranks second in the MAC with a 60.5 FG%.

Central Michigan had its season-high three-game winning streak snapped on Tuesday with a 73-61 loss at Ohio. Anthony Pritchard leads the Chippewas with 13.5 and ranks second  in the MAC with 4.7 apg. while Brian Taylor is averaging 12.6 ppg and a team-high 7.1 rpg.

Toledo has won its last five meetings against Central Michigan with its last defeat an 81-79 road setback on March 2, 2021.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Date: Friday, Jan. 19, 2024.
Tip-Off: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Mt. Pleasant, Mich.
Arena: McGuirk Arena (7,014).
Streaming: CBS Sports Network. Dave Ryan will provide play-by-play for broadcast with Tarik Turner 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 70-40. Toledo has won 12 of its last 14 games vs. CMU and has won five in a row vs. the Chippewas. The Rockets have posted double-digit victories in nine of their 12 wins during this stretch.

STREAKING IN THE MAC
• The Rockets have won a league-record 20 STRAIGHT conference games dating back to last season.
• TEN of the victories during the 20-game streak have come on the road.
• The Rockets' average margin of victory during the streak is 13.2 ppg.
• Toledo's last MAC loss was a 73-65 loss at Kent State on Jan. 10, 2023.
• UT's 5-0 start in MAC play is its best since winning six straight at the start of the 2020-21 season.
• The Rockets' school record for best MAC start is 7-0 in 1978-79 and 2006-07.
• Toledo has had an eight-game overall win streak or longer in each of the last three years. UT registered a school-record 17-game winning streak last year, a nine-game unbeaten stretch in 2021-22 and an eight-game unblemished streak in 2020-21.
•  Toledo is on a season-high five-game winning streak.
 
ROAD WARRIORS
The Rockets are 4-1 in road games this season and have posted a 30-15 (.667) win-loss mark in road games since the start of the 2020-21 campaign. Toledo possesses a 53-35 (.603) win-loss mark on enemy courts since the start of the 2017-18 season.

POST TOUCHES
•  Junior Ra'Heim Moss has scored in double digits in 16 of 17 games this season after scoring in double digits on 13 occasions last year.  He has now scored in double digits 43 times in his Rocket career and is tied for third in the MAC with 1.5 spg.
•  Junior Dante Maddox Jr. ranks second in team scoring with a career-high 15.5 ppg. and has scored in double digits in a career-high 11 straight games.
•  Junior Tyler Cochran leads the MAC with a team-high 2.1 spg. He also leads the team with 6.4 rpg and is shooting 56.6% from the field in league play.
•  Cochran has EIGHT career double-doubles following a 11-point, 11-rebound outing vs. Buffalo. He has registered four double-doubles at NIU, two at Ball St. and two at UT.
•  Maddox is tied for third in the conference with 1.5 spg to join Cochran and Moss in the MAC's Top Five.
•  Redshirt freshman Javan Simmons is fourth on the team with 12.5 ppg. He has scored in double digits in 14 games and has a team-high 60.3 FG% that is 2ND in the MAC.
•  Freshman Sonny Wilson registered his fifth double-digit outing with 13 points at Kent State (Jan. 9). He also scored 13 points in UT's MAC opener at Ohio and leads the Rockets with a 2.0 A/TO ratio.
 
TEAM TIDBITS
•  Toledo leads the MAC with 79.1 ppg, a 47.6 FG% and a 77.1 FT% and ranks second with a 37.4 three-point FG%, 7.4 spg and a plus-2.24 turnover margin.
•  The Rockets rank 15th nationally with a 77.1 free-throw percentage. During Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk's 14-year tenure, UT has ranked in the Top 20 nationally in Toledo 2012-13 (8th), 2018-19 (12th), and 2020-21 (18th).
•  Toledo also ranks in the Top 50 nationally - 38th in 3PTFG% (37.4) and 48th in FTs made per game (16.4/game).
•  The Rockets have made more FTs (276) than their opponents have attempted (242).
•  UT's four leading scorers are also their top four free-throw shooters. Maddox leads UT at 82.4% and is followed by Simmons (80.4), Cochran (79.1) and Moss (78.6).
•  Maddox has made all 12 of his free-throw attempts in his last three games.
•  Since the start of the 2020-21 season, Toledo is 53-9 (.855) in league play. The Rockets are 29-3 (.906) in MAC home games and 24-6 (.800) in MAC road games.
•  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.
 
ON THE HORIZON
     Toledo will remain on the road with a trip to DeKalb, Ill. to face Northern Illinois on Tuesday, Jan. 23. The Rockets will then return to Savage Arena for a pair of home games vs. Bowling Green on Saturday, Jan. 27 and Western Michigan on Tuesday, Jan. 30.