TOLEDO, Ohio - The Toledo men's basketball team (10-7, 4-1 MAC) looks to keep pace with Mid-American Conference leaders Akron (12-5, 5-0) and Miami (13-4, 5-0) when it hosts Kent State (11-6, 2-3 MAC) on Tuesday, Jan. 21. The contest will tip off at 7:00 p.m. in Savage Arena and be streamed on ESPN+. The halftime show will be performed by Grace Good, an elite cirque performer who blends fun, hula hoops, and aerial stunts into a mesmerizing display of talent and athleticism.

The four-time defending MAC champion Rockets bounced back from last Tuesday's defeat at Akron with a resounding 93-75 victory at Ball State on Saturday. Toledo and BSU were both efficient offensively, with each squad shooting 53.7% from the field. The Rockets committed just five turnovers, their fourth game this season with five or fewer miscues.

Sam Lewis tied his career high with 21 points and Isaiah Adams poured in a season-high 20 points to propel Toledo to the dominating road win. Javan Simmons also registered his first double-double for the season for the Rockets to join Lewis and Adams in double figures. He finished with 16 points and a season-high 12 rebounds. Sonny Wilson and Bryce Ford tallied 15 and 12 points, respectively, with each grabbing seven boards.

Wilson and Lewis are leading Toledo with 14.9 and 14.7 ppg, respectively. Simmons is averaging 12.2 and a team-high 5.7 rpg, while Adams checks in with 10.6 ppg. Bryce Ford and Lewis are two of the MAC's top perimeter threats. Ford ranks third in the league with a 45.0 3PTFG% with Lewis right behind him in fourth with a 44.8 mark.

Kent State has won its only two MAC road games but is 0-3 at home in league play. The Golden Flashes top the MAC in scoring defense (64.8 ppg) and FG% defense (41.2). Senior VonCameron Davis leads KSU with 15.4 ppg. He is joined in double digits by senior Jalen Sullinger (12.0 ppg).

The Rockets' meeting against the Golden Flashes will be the first of two contests between the two schools. Toledo has swept the regular-season series against KSU twice in the last four seasons.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025.
Tip-Off: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Toledo, Ohio
Arena: Savage Arena (7,014).
Streaming: ESPN+. Mason Lowry 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 87-56. The Rockets swept the Golden Flashes in the season series last year but lost by a 67-59 margin in the MAC Quarterfinals.
 
POST TOUCHES
•  Five Rockets are scoring in double digits in MAC play led by Sam Lewis' 16.8 ppg followed by Sonny Wilson (14.8), Javan Simmons (14.2), Isaiah Adams (12.0) and Bryce Ford (10.8).
•  Toledo's five home games are the fewest in the MAC.
•  UT entered MAC play with a 6-6 mark for a second-straight season. UT started the MAC season with five wins last year 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 14.9 ppg and 3.4 apg. He ranks 10th in the MAC with 14.9 ppg.
•  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. In MAC play, he leads the conference with 4.2 offensive rpg and is tied for second with 9.0 rpg.
•  Sophomore Sam Lewis has three 20-point outings this season, including tying his career high with 21 points in Saturday's 18-point win at Ball State. He ranks fourth in MAC play with 16.8 ppg and is fourth in the MAC with a 44.9 3PTFG% in overall games.
•  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 a career-high 18 points vs. EMU, 12 at Ball State, 10 vs. CMU and nine at WMU. In MAC play, he is averaging 10.8 ppg with a 57.1 FG% (20-of-35) and a 53.3 3PTFG% (8-of-15).
•  Senior transfer Isaiah Adams followed up a 17-point effort at Akron last Tuesday with a season-high 20 point outing at Ball State. He leads UT with 1.1 spg and is averaging 10.6 ppg and 3.1 apg.
 
HOME SWEET HOME
•  Toledo is 54-8 (.871) over the last four-plus seasons in Savage Arena and has a 4-1 win-loss mark on its home floor this season. UT was 8-1 in conference play last year and had a 15-game MAC home winning streak snapped with a 75-72 loss to Northern Illinois (Feb. 27).
•  The Rockets' home records over the three years prior to the 2023-24 campaign were 13-1 (2022-23), 13-2 (2021-22) and 12-1 (2020-21).
 
PARKING
Free parking for the game is available in Lots 1 and 2. Lots 3, 4, 5, and 6 require parking passes. For all other lots, vehicles must be registered at parkutoledo.com.
 
ON THE HORIZON
     The Rockets will visit arch-rival Bowling Green (7-10, 2-3 MAC) on Friday, Jan. 24 and Ohio (10-7, 4-1 MAC) on Tuesday, Jan. 28 before returning home to host Northern Illinois (4-13, 0-5 MAC) on Saturday, Feb. 1.