TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo men's basketball team (9-6, 3-0 MAC) will begin a stretch of playing four of its next five games on the road when it visits Akron (10-5, 3-0 MAC) on Tuesday, Jan. 14. The matchup will feature two of the remaining four unbeaten teams in the Mid-American Conference. Tip-off is at 7:00 p.m. in James A. Rhodes Arena with streaming on ESPN+.

The four-time defending MAC champion Rockets capped off a perfect week at home with Friday's 69-67 victory over Central Michigan following Tuesday's 90-87 win over Eastern Michigan. Sophomore Javan Simmons led the way vs. the Chippewas with 17 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and two blocked shots. Also scoring in double figures for UT were sophomores Sam Lewis (15 pts.), Sonny Wilson (11 pts.) and Bryce Ford (10 pts.).

Wilson is leading Toledo with 15.3 ppg and has a team-high four 20-point outings. Lewis (14.3) and Simmons (11.7) are also scoring in double digits for the Rockets.

Wilson is dishing out a team-high 3.3 apg and is second on the team with 1.0 spg. Lewis leads UT with 5.7 rpg and ranks fourth in the MAC with a 44.7 three-point FG%, while Simmons possesses a team-high 53.8 FG%.

Akron is 7-0 at home this season, including an 87-71 victory over Central Michigan on Jan. 7. The Zips rank second in the MAC in scoring offense (82.1 ppg) and fifth nationally with 11.5 three-point field goals made per game.

Junior Tavari Johnson is leading a balanced Akron offense with 12.3 ppg and 3.9 apg, while junior Nate Johnson is averaging 11.7 ppg and a team-high 1.6 spg. Freshman Sharron Young is the Zips' top shooter behind the three-point arc at 42.9% (24-of-56) and is averaging 9.3 ppg.

The Rockets' meeting vs. the Zips will be the first of two matchups this season. Akron will come to Savage Arena in the final week of the regular season on Tuesday, March 4.

GAME INFORMATION
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025.
Tip-Off: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Akron, Ohio.
Arena: Rhodes Arena (5,500).
Television: ESPN+. Michael Reghi will provide play-by-play for broadcast with Jeff Phelps 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 42-30. Toledo has won 13 of its last 17 games vs. Akron after losing seven in a row to the Zips. Toledo has won five of its last eight road games vs. the Zips since the 2013-14 season.

POST TOUCHES
• Toledo's five home games are tied with Central Michigan for the fewest in the MAC.
• The Rockets also entered conference play last year with a 6-6 mark. UT started the MAC season with five straight wins and ended up with its fourth straight outright MAC title.
• Sophomore Sonny Wilson earned a spot on the MAC All-Freshman Team last year and leads UT with 15.3 ppg and 3.3 apg. He ranks 10th in the MAC with 15.6 ppg and eighth with a 53.8 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 leads UT with a 53.8 FG%, is second with 5.1 rpg, and third with 11.7 ppg.
• Sophomore Sam Lewis scored a career-high 21 points at Youngstown State (Dec. 14) and also tallied 20 points vs. Eastern Michigan (Jan. 7). In addition, he registered back-to-back double-doubles with 13 points and a career-best 11 boards at Purdue (Dec. 29) and 14 points and 10 rebounds at WMU (Jan. 4). He is second in team scoring (14.3 ppg) and fourth in the MAC with a team-best 45.9 3PTFG%.
• Sophomore Bryce Ford has emerged as another perimeter scoring threat after joining the Rockets' starting lineup at the start of conference play. Ford has tallied nine points against WMU, a career-high 18 points vs. EMU, and 10 more vs. CMU. In the three games, he is averaging 12.3 ppg with a 63.6 FG% (14-of-22) and 58.3 3PTFG% (7-of-12).
• Senior transfer Isaiah Adams started 25 of 26 games last year for Buffalo and was the Bulls' second-leading scorer with 12.8 ppg. He leads UT with 1.2 spg this season and is averaging 9.5 ppg, including a season-high 18 points vs. Wright St. (Nov. 13). He also is second on the team with 3.2 apg and is tied for seventh in league play with a team-high 4.7 apg.

NOTES FROM THE ROCKETS' 69-67 WIN OVER CMU
• Toledo has now won six of its last seven meetings vs. the Chippewas.
• The Rockets are 8-0 when leading at halftime and 7-1 when shooting 45% or better this season.
• Sam Lewis and Sonny Wilson have each scored in double figures in 14 of 15 games this season.
• Toledo rallied from an eight-point first-half deficit, two points shy of matching its biggest rally of the season when it came back from 10 points down vs. Jacksonville State (Nov. 22).

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 65-13 (.833) in league play since the start of the 2020-21 season. The Rockets are 36-4 (.900) in MAC home games and 29-9 (.763) in MAC road games.
• Toledo was 3-0 in one-point games last year with road wins over Wright State and Oakland and a home victory over Marshall. The Rockets have yet to play a one-point game this season and are 3-0 in games decided by three points or less.
 
ON THE HORIZON
The Rockets continue their stretch of playing four of five games on the road with a trip to Muncie, Ind. to meet Ball State (8-7, 2-1 MAC) on Saturday, Jan. 18. Tip-off time for the contest is set for 2:00 p.m. Toledo will then host Kent State (11-4, 2-1 MAC) on Tuesday, Jan. 21 before visiting arch-rival Bowling Green (6-9, 1-2 MAC) on Friday, Jan. 24 and Ohio (9-6, 3-0 MAC) on Tuesday, Jan. 28.