TOLEDO, Ohio - The four-time defending Mid-American Conference champion University of Toledo men's basketball team will face two of the top programs in the country as part of its 2024-25 non-conference schedule, Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk announced today.

Highlighting the Rockets' slate are games at Houston (Dec. 18) and Purdue (Dec. 29). The Cougars and Boilermakers were each No. 1 seeds in last year's NCAA Tournament, with Purdue dropping a 75-60 decision to UConn in the national title game. Houston has advanced to five consecutive Sweet 16s and reached the 2021 Final Four.

"We have a tremendous schedule ahead of us," said Kowalczyk, who is one of five active NCAA head coaches to win four straight outright league titles. "We want to play the best of the best, and Purdue and Houston are definitely rank right up there. These types of games help our recruiting and are exciting for our fan base. Our players are going to learn a lot when they see how hard those two teams play."

Toledo will open its season on Nov. 4 against an opponent to be determined as part of the MAC-Sun Belt Conference Challenge. The Rockets will then head to Marshall on Nov. 9 before hosting Wright State in its home opener on Nov. 13. Following its contest against the Raiders, UT will visit Detroit Mercy on Nov. 16 before competing at the Boardwalk Battle in Daytona Beach, Fla. on Nov. 21-23.

The Rockets will return to Savage Arena for home games vs. Oakland (Nov. 30) and Defiance College (Dec. 7) before closing out the calendar year at Youngstown State (Dec. 14) along with their games at Houston and Purdue. Toledo's final non-conference contest will be a home game on Feb. 8 as part of the MAC-SBC Challenge.

"We're going to be facing some really good teams in Florida and we'll be challenged," Kowalczyk said. "We also have some tough road games against Marshall, Youngstown State and in the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge."

Toledo continued its historic run last year by joining former MAC member Cincinnati (1951-54) as the only two MAC programs ever to win four consecutive outright league titles. The Rockets are returning two starters from last year's squad that posted a 20-12 overall record and 14-4 league mark. Sophomore forward Javan Simmons (12.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg) earned MAC Freshman of the Year honors, while sophomore guard Sonny Wilson (8.0 ppg, 2.2 apg) was named to the MAC All-Freshman Team.

UT has a talented group of newcomers joining its program for the 2024-25 campaign. The Rockets are adding all-state honorees Tyler Ode (Saginaw, Mich.) and Jaylan Ouwinga (Grand Rapids, Mich.) as well as transfers Isaiah Adams (12.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.7 apg at Buffalo), Seth Hubbard (14.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg at WMU), and Colin O'Rourke (17. 5 ppg, 6.2 rpg at Wisconsin-Parkside).

Toledo's Mid-American Conference schedule is expected to be announced in late August or early September.

Season tickets for Toledo men's basketball are on sale now.  For more information or to purchase season tickets, visit the Rocket Athletic Ticket Office at the Sullivan Athletic Complex in Savage Arena, contact the Rocket Athletic Ticket Office at 419-530-GOLD (4653) or go online to UTRockets.com/tix.