TOLEDO, Ohio - The Toledo men's basketball team (16-9, 10-2 MAC) has an opportunity to move into a tie for first place in the Mid-American Conference on Tuesday, Feb. 20 when it hosts league-leading Akron (19-6, 11-1 MAC) at 7:00 p.m. The three-time defending MAC champion Rockets enter Tuesday's contest a game behind the Zips in the league standings.

UT will be looking to avenge a 77-70 defeat to Akron on Feb. 2 in Rhodes Arena. Five Rockets scored in double figures in that contest, but it wasn't enough. Toledo shot 43.3% from the field and registered season lows for both three-point field goals (2) and three-point FG% (16.7). Toledo trailed 47-36 at halftime but rallied to within three points, 60-57, on Javan Simmons' three-point play with 6:46 remaining. The Rockets then cut Akron's margin to 75-70 with 30 seconds left but couldn't complete their comeback.

Simmons registered his second-straight double-double with 13 points and a season-high 16 rebounds last Friday to help Toledo to an 85-83 home win over Ohio. The Rockets trailed by as many as 13 points before rallying for the win. Dante Maddox Jr. led UT with 21 points, including a go-ahead three-pointer with 49 seconds left.

Ra'Heim Moss is leading the Rockets offensively with a career-high 16.4 ppg. He is followed by Maddox (15.9), Tyler Cochran (13.5) and Simmons (13.0).

Akron was the preseason favorite to win the MAC and its lone MAC defeat was a 70-68 loss at Miami on Jan. 27. The Zips' starting lineup includes five seniors with Enrique Freeman leading the way with 18.3 ppg and a national-best 12.9 rpg. Joining Freeman in double digits is Ali Ali (15.7 ppg) and Greg Tribble (10.3 ppg).

UT has won 12 of its last 16 meetings vs. Akron, including six in a row at home.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Date: Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024.
Tip-Off: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Toledo, Ohio.
Arena: Savage Arena (7,014).
Streaming: ESPN+. Chris Schmidbauer will provide play-by-play for broadcast with Rhett Boyd 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 41-30. Toledo has won 12 of its last 16 games vs. Akron after losing seven in a row to the Zips. Toledo has won its last six home games vs. Akron with its last defeat coming in 2013.

POST TOUCHES
•  Junior Ra'Heim Moss has scored in double digits in 24 of 25 games this season after scoring in double digits on 13 occasions last year. He ranks seventh in the MAC with 16.5 ppg and has scored 15 or more points in 10 straight contests.
•  Moss grabbed a career-high six steals at App State, the most by a Rocket since Rian Pearson collected seven steals vs. Ball State on Jan. 10, 2012.
•  Junior Dante Maddox Jr. ranks second in team scoring with a career-high 15.9 ppg. Maddox scored a career-high 26 pts. vs. BG (Jan. 27) and leads UT with TEN 20-point outings.
•  Maddox is third in MAC games only with a 48.3 3FG% and fourth with 2.30 3FG/game.
•  Junior Tyler Cochran leads the MAC with a team-high 2.0 spg. He also leads the team with 6.8 rpg and has grabbed 7.5 rpg in league play.
•  Cochran has scored in double digits in 17 of his last 18 games and is averaging 14.3 ppg and 8.0 rpg in his last NINE games
•  Simmons is averaging 13.0 ppg this season with a team-best 58.0 FG% (3rd in MAC). He registered his first two double-doubles of the season in his last two games and is averaging 14.7 ppg and 11.3 rpg in his last THREE contests.
•  Freshman Sonny Wilson tallied a season-high 17 points and seven boards at App State (Feb. 10). He is averaging 11.0 ppg with a 62.2 FG% (23-of-37) in his last FIVE games.
 
TEAM TIDBITS
•  The Rockets have won 25 of their last 27 MAC games with their only losses a three-point setback at Central Michigan (Jan. 19) and a seven-point defeat at Akron (Feb. 2).
•  UT is 58-11 (.841) in league play since the start of the 2020-21 season. The Rockets are 32-3 (.914) in MAC home games and 26-8 (.765) in MAC road games.
•  Toledo leads the MAC with 80.8 ppg, a 48.1 FG%, a 76.0 FT% and 7.5 spg and is tied for first with a 37.6 3PTFG%/
•  In league play, the Rockets are first with 80.8 ppg and a 49.5 FG% and second with a 75.8 FT% and a +8.0 scoring margin.
•  The Rockets rank 31st nationally with a 76.2 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).
•  UT also ranks 23rd nationally in 3PTFG% (37.6) and 27th in FG% (48.1).
•  UT has made 20 more FTs (406) than its opponents have attempted (386). In MAC play, the discrepancy is even greater with a plus-42 margin (207-165).
•  The Rockets are 8-3 in games decided by five points or less.

HOME SWEET HOME
     Toledo is 48-6 (.889) over the last three-plus seasons in Savage Arena. UT had a 10-game home winning streak dating back to last year snapped with an 86-77 loss to George Mason on Dec. 2. In addition to their losses to GMU and Vermont this season, the Rockets' defeats have come at the hands of Ball State last year, Dayton and Kent State in the 2021-22 season and Bowling Green in the 2020-21 campaign.
     The Rockets' home records over the three years before this season are 13-1 (2022-23), 13-2 (2021-22) and 12-1 (2020-21).

ON THE HORIZON
     Toledo will visit arch-rival Bowling Green on Friday, Feb. 23 in the second installment of this year's Battle of I-75. The Rockets defeated the Falcons by an 88-72 margin in Savage Arena on Jan. 27 for its fifth-consecutive win in the series. The contest against the Falcons will tip off on ESPNU at 7:00 p.m.