TOLEDO, Ohio - The Toledo men's basketball team (11-7, 5-1 MAC) looks to bounce back from its first defeat in Mid-American Conference play when it visits Northern Illinois (6-11, 0-5 MAC) on Tuesday, Jan. 23. The contest will tip off in DeKalb, Ill. at 7:00 p.m. CT (8:00 p.m. ET) and be streamed on ESPN+.

The Rockets are currently tied for second place in the MAC with Bowling Green (14-4, 5-1 MAC), one game behind league-leading Akron (14-4, 6-0 MAC). Central Michigan (9-9, 4-2 MAC) and Western Michigan (7-11, 4-2 MAC) are tied for fourth place.

UT saw its league-record 20-game regular-season conference winning streak end with a 65-62 defeat at CMU last Friday. Dante Maddox Jr. led the way for the Rockets by scoring 21 points for a third straight game. He was joined in double digits by Ra'Heim Moss (15 pts.) and Tyler Cochran (10 pts.). Cochran also grabbed 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. Moss had a chance to tie the game at the buzzer but his three-pointer rimmed out.

Moss is leading UT offensively with a career-high scoring mark of 16.3 PPG. Maddox is just behind Moss with a career-high 15.8 PPG, while Cochran is averaging 12.8 PPG, a team-high 6.6 RPG, and a team-best 2.1 SPG. Simmons is also averaging 11.9 PPG and ranks fourth in the MAC with a 57.6 FG%.

Northern Illinois has been idle since last Tuesday's 83-76 home loss to Kent State. Junior David Coit leads the Huskies offensively and ranks third in the MAC with 19.4 PPG. Junior Zarique Nutter and sophomore Xavier Amos are also averaging in double digits with 14.9 PPG and 12.4 PPG, respectively.

Toledo has won its last four meetings vs. NIU after posting an 84-67 road win last year. The Rockets possess an 11-9 all-time mark in the Convocation Center.

GAME INFORMATION
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024.
Tip-Off: 7:00 p.m. CT (8:00 p.m. ET)
Location: DeKalb, Ill.
Arena: Convocation Ctr. (10,000).
Streaming: ESPN+. Matt Rodewald will provide a play-by-play for broadcast with Mark Lindo 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 52-31. The Rockets have won five of their last six games in DeKalb and four straight overall vs. the Huskies. UT's average margin of victory during its current four-game win streak vs. NIU is 24.8 ppg.

POST TOUCHES
•  Junior Ra'Heim Moss has scored in double digits in 17 of 18 games this season after scoring in double digits on 13 occasions last year.  He has now scored in double digits 44 times in his Rocket career and is seventh in the MAC with 16.3 ppg.
•  Junior Dante Maddox Jr. ranks second in team scoring with a career-high 15.8 ppg. and has scored in double digits in a career-high 12 straight games.
•  Maddox grabbed a season-high seven rebounds and tied his career high with five assists in addition to scoring 21 points in last Saturday's win over Ball State. He has scored exactly 21 points in each of his last three games.
•  Junior Tyler Cochran leads the MAC with a team-high 2.2 spg. He also leads the team with 6.6 RPG and has grabbed 7.5 RPG in league play.
•  Cochran has NINE career double-doubles after registering double-doubles last week vs. Buffalo and Central Michigan. He has registered four double-doubles at NIU, two at Ball St., and three at UT.
•  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% which 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 a 76.6 FT% and 7.3 SPG and ranks second with 78.1 ppg and a plus-2.28 turnover margin.
•  The Rockets rank 24th nationally with a 76.6 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 49th nationally in FTs made per game (16.2/game).
•  The Rockets have made more FTs (292) than their opponents have attempted (268).
•  UT's four leading scorers are also their top four free-throw shooters. Maddox leads UT at 81.3% and is followed by Simmons (80.4), Cochran (79.2), and Moss (78.0).
•  Since the start of the 2020-21 season, Toledo is 53-10 (.841) in league play. The Rockets are 29-3 (.906) in MAC home games and 24-7 (.774) in MAC road games.
•  Toledo is the only MAC school to win 13 or more league games in five of the last six years.

ROAD WARRIORS
     The Rockets are 4-2 in road games this season and have posted a 30-16 (.652) win-loss mark in road games since the start of the 2020-21 campaign. Toledo possesses a 53-36 (.603) win-loss mark on enemy courts since the start of the 2017-18 season.
 
ON THE HORIZON
     Toledo will return to Savage Arena for a pair of home games vs. Bowling Green on Saturday, Jan. 27, and Western Michigan on Tuesday, Jan. 30. The Rockets will then be on the road for their next three games at Akron (Feb. 2), Eastern Michigan (Feb. 6) and Appalachian State (Feb. 10).