TOLEDO, Ohio - The Toledo men's basketball team will face its second straight Top 25 opponent when it travels to West Lafayette, Ind. on Sunday, Dec. 29 to face No. 21/25 Purdue (8-4). The contest will be tip off at 6:00 p.m. in Mackey Arena and be televised on the Big Ten Network. Sunday's contest marks the first time since the 2010-11 season UT has played back-to-back games vs. Top 25 opponents.

The Rockets will be looking to rebound from a 78-49 setback at No. 12/15 Houston on Wednesday, Dec. 18. Sophomore Sam Lewis paced UT offensively in that contest with 14 points.

Sophomore Sonny Wilson is leading Toledo (6-5) with 15.2 ppg, with Lewis (13.9), sophomore Javan Simmons (11.5), and fifth-year senior Isaiah Adams (10.4) joining him in double figures. Junior Seth Hubbard is the Rockets' top scorer off the bench at 9.0 ppg.

Wilson is dishing out a team-high 3.3 apg and is second on the team with 1.1 spg. Lewis leads Toledo with 4.9 rpg and a 50.0 three-point FG%, while Simmons possesses a team-high 54.4 FG%.

The Rockets rank eighth nationally with 9.2 turnovers per game and lead the Mid-American Conference with a 1.55 assist/turnover ratio.

Purdue is one of the top three-point shooting teams in the nation, ranking 17th with a 39.6 three-point FG%. The Boilermakers are one of four programs in the country to have made at least a Sweet 16, Elite 8 and Final Four during their last five NCAA Tournaments, joining Duke, Gonzaga and Houston.

Three of the Boilermakers' four defeats have come against No. 2 Auburn (87-69), No. 8 Marquette (76-58), and No. 13 Texas A&M (70-66). Trey Kaufman-Renn leads Purdue with 17.9 ppg and 6.6 rpg. Fletcher Loyer is averaging 13.3 ppg with a team-best 45.7 three-point FG%, and Braden Smith is scoring 12.9 ppg with a team-high 8.3 apg.

GAME INFORMATION
Date: Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024.
Tip-Off: 6:00 p.m.
Location: West Lafayette, Ind.
Arena: Mackey Arena (14,240).
Televison: Big Ten Network. Jeff Levering will provide play-by-play for broadcast with Bruce Weber 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
Purdue leads 3-1. The last two meetings between Toledo and Purdue were part of a home-and-home series in 1985 and 1986. The Boilermakers won both contests - 72-56 in West Lafayette and 89-67 in Toledo.

POST TOUCHES
• Sophomore Sonny Wilson earned a spot on the MAC All-Freshman Team last year and leads UT with 15.2 ppg and 3.3 apg, and a 55.7 FG%. He ranks eighth in the MAC with 15.2 ppg, fourth with a 2.00 assist/turnover ratio and sixth with a 52.8 FG%.
• Sophomore Javan Simmons was a unanimous selection for 2023-24 MAC Freshman of the Year and is a member of the 2024-25 Preseason All-MAC First Team. He ranks third on the team with 11.5 ppg and tied for second with 4.4 rpg.
• Sophomore Sam Lewis scored a career-high 21 points and tied his career high with eight rebounds at Youngstown State (Dec. 14). He is second in team scoring (13.9 ppg) and is tied for second in the MAC with a team-best 50.0 3PTFG%

PROTECTING THE BASKETBALL & DEFENDING WITHOUT FOULING
• Toledo ranks among the national leaders in fewest turnovers per game, averaging a MAC-best 9.2 miscues per game.
• The Rockets are tied for sixth in nationally, with Purdue Fort Wayne ranking first at 8.6.
• The Rockets rank 34th with a league-best 1.55 assist/turnover ratio.
• Toledo is tied for 42nd nationally with 14.8 fouls per game despite being whistled for a season-high 24 fouls at Youngstown State (Dec. 14). The Rockets have registered 50 more free-throw attempts than its opponents for an average of 4.5 FT attempts per game.
 
TEAM TIDBITS
• Toledo has registered FOUR straight 20-win seasons as well as SIX 20-win seasons in the last SEVEN years.
• The Rockets are the only MAC school to win 13 or more league games in six of the last seven years.
• The Rockets are 62-13 (.827) in league play since the start of the 2020-21 season. The Rockets are 34-4 (.895) in MAC home games and 28-9 (.767) in MAC road games.
• Toledo posted a 6-3 record in MAC road games last year after registering an 8-1 mark in league road games in the 2022-23 campaign. 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 were 8-5 in road games last season and have posted a 36-22 (.621) win-loss mark in road games since the start of the 2020-21 campaign. Toledo possesses a 59-41 (.590) win-loss mark on enemy courts since the start of the 2017-18 season.
  
ON THE HORIZON
Toledo will open Mid-American Conference play on Saturday, Jan. 4 vs. Western Michigan (3-8) before hosting Eastern Michigan (6-5) in its league opener on Tuesday, Jan. 7.