Saturday, January 3
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
3:00 p.m.
University of Toledo
at
Central Michigan
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
Senior Sean Craig leads the MAC with 3.6 offensive rebounds per game and is second with 8.0 rpg.
Toledo to Visit CMU on Saturday for First MAC Road Contest
1/2/2026 1:33:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Rockets and Chippewas to tip off at 3:00 p.m. in Mt. Pleasant on ESPN+
TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo men's basketball team (7-6, 1-0 MAC) looks to build upon the momentum of Tuesday's 84-79 win over Western Michigan in its Mid-American Conference opener when it travels to Mt. Pleasant, Mich. to face Central Michigan (4-10, 0-2 MAC) on Saturday, Jan. 3 at 3:00 p.m. Tip-off from McGuirk Arena is set for 3:00 p.m. with streaming on ESPN+.
The Rockets jumped out to a 14-2 lead over the Broncos before falling behind by 16 points in the second half. Leroy Blyden Jr. then spearheaded UT's comeback by scoring 27 of his season-high 36 points in the second half. Blyden's 36 points are the most scored by a MAC player this season and tied for third-most by a freshman in the nation.
Joining Blyden in double figures were Kyler Vanderjagt (15 pts.), Sonny Wilson (14 pts.), and Sean Craig (14 pts.). Wilson also grabbed a season-high eight rebounds and dished out six assists, while Craig collected a season-best 13 boards for his fourth double-double of the season.
The Rockets are led by the backcourt trio of Wilson (17.0 ppg), Blyden (15.8 ppg), and Vanderjagt (10.9) along with the frontcourt tandem of Craig (13.2 ppg) and Austin Parks (10.3 ppg). Craig leads UT and ranks second in the MAC with 8.0 rpg, with Blyden setting the pace with 4.3 apg and 1.7 spg.
Central Michigan has opened MAC play with losses at Northern Illinois and to Ohio. CMU held a 54-34 lead with 14:30 to play in its 74-73 defeat to the Huskies.
Senior center Nathan Claerbaut leads the Chippewas with 12.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg, and 1.9 bpg. Senior guard Tamario Adley is also scoring in double figures with 10.9 ppg to go along with a team-high 3.7 apg and 1.4 spg.
GAME INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026.
Tip-Off: 3:00 p.m.
Location: Mt. Pleasant, Mich.
Arena: McGuirk Arena (7,014).
Streaming: ESPN+. Adam Jaksa will provide play-by-play with Kyle Sandel 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.
DETAILING SATURDAY'S MATCHUP
• Toledo leads its all-time series vs. Central Michigan by a 72-41 margin and has won six of its last seven matchups vs. the Chippewas.
• UT and CMU will be facing each other only once this season for the third-straight year.
• Toledo dropped a 65-62 decision to the Chippewas in its last visit to Mt. Pleasant on Jan. 19, 2024, a defeat that snapped the Rockets' MAC record 20-game league winning streak.
ROCKETS IN THE NCAA & MAC RANKINGS (thru games played Jan. 1)
• Toledo ranks second in the MAC and 23rd in the nation with its 77.2 FT%.
• Toledo ranks third in the MAC with 7.8 spg, a 1.54 assist/turnover ratio, 12.3 offensive rebounds/game, 10.9 turnovers/game, and a +2.9 turnover margin.
• Senior Sean Craig ranks first in the MAC with 3.5 offensive rpg, second with 8.0 rpg, and fourth with an 88.6 FT%.
• Freshman Leroy Blyden Jr. is tied for fourth in the MAC with 1.7 spg, sixth with 4.3 apg, and eighth with 15.8 ppg.
• Junior Sonny Wilson ranks fifth with 17.0 ppg and seventh with 4.2 apg.
• Junior Austin Parks ranks seventh with a 59.2 FG% and tied for eighth with 1.0 bpg.
POSTGAME NOTES FROM TUESDAY'S WIN OVER WMU
• Leroy Blyden Jr. scored 36 points, including 27 in the second half, to tie for the most points by a Rocket freshman since Terry Reynolds scored 36 vs. Auburn on Nov. 25, 2000.
• Sonny Wilson tallied 14 points, a season-high eight rebounds and six assists. He attempted a career-high 13 free throws and has a streak of scoring in double figures of 30 games dating back to last season.
• Sean Craig registered his fourth double-double as a Rocket with 14 points and a season-high 13 rebounds.
• Kyler Vanderjagt's 15-point outing was his eighth double-digit outing of the season. He played a season-high 35 minutes and registered a team-best two steals.
• The Rockets are averaging just 8.0 turnovers per game in their last four contests.
• Toledo has an all-time mark of 40-35 in MAC openers and is 22-10 in home lid-lifters following its win over WMU.
• UT has a 15-game winning streak vs. WMU with its last loss to the Broncos on Feb. 21, 2017.
ON THE HORIZON
Toledo will remain on the road to face Northern Illinois (5-8, 1-1 MAC) on Tuesday, Jan. 6. The Rockets will then return home to host Miami (14-0, 2-0 MAC) on Friday, Jan. 9 and Ohio (7-7, 1-1 MAC) on Tuesday, Jan. 13.
The Rockets jumped out to a 14-2 lead over the Broncos before falling behind by 16 points in the second half. Leroy Blyden Jr. then spearheaded UT's comeback by scoring 27 of his season-high 36 points in the second half. Blyden's 36 points are the most scored by a MAC player this season and tied for third-most by a freshman in the nation.
Joining Blyden in double figures were Kyler Vanderjagt (15 pts.), Sonny Wilson (14 pts.), and Sean Craig (14 pts.). Wilson also grabbed a season-high eight rebounds and dished out six assists, while Craig collected a season-best 13 boards for his fourth double-double of the season.
The Rockets are led by the backcourt trio of Wilson (17.0 ppg), Blyden (15.8 ppg), and Vanderjagt (10.9) along with the frontcourt tandem of Craig (13.2 ppg) and Austin Parks (10.3 ppg). Craig leads UT and ranks second in the MAC with 8.0 rpg, with Blyden setting the pace with 4.3 apg and 1.7 spg.
Central Michigan has opened MAC play with losses at Northern Illinois and to Ohio. CMU held a 54-34 lead with 14:30 to play in its 74-73 defeat to the Huskies.
Senior center Nathan Claerbaut leads the Chippewas with 12.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg, and 1.9 bpg. Senior guard Tamario Adley is also scoring in double figures with 10.9 ppg to go along with a team-high 3.7 apg and 1.4 spg.
GAME INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026.
Tip-Off: 3:00 p.m.
Location: Mt. Pleasant, Mich.
Arena: McGuirk Arena (7,014).
Streaming: ESPN+. Adam Jaksa will provide play-by-play with Kyle Sandel 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.
DETAILING SATURDAY'S MATCHUP
• Toledo leads its all-time series vs. Central Michigan by a 72-41 margin and has won six of its last seven matchups vs. the Chippewas.
• UT and CMU will be facing each other only once this season for the third-straight year.
• Toledo dropped a 65-62 decision to the Chippewas in its last visit to Mt. Pleasant on Jan. 19, 2024, a defeat that snapped the Rockets' MAC record 20-game league winning streak.
ROCKETS IN THE NCAA & MAC RANKINGS (thru games played Jan. 1)
• Toledo ranks second in the MAC and 23rd in the nation with its 77.2 FT%.
• Toledo ranks third in the MAC with 7.8 spg, a 1.54 assist/turnover ratio, 12.3 offensive rebounds/game, 10.9 turnovers/game, and a +2.9 turnover margin.
• Senior Sean Craig ranks first in the MAC with 3.5 offensive rpg, second with 8.0 rpg, and fourth with an 88.6 FT%.
• Freshman Leroy Blyden Jr. is tied for fourth in the MAC with 1.7 spg, sixth with 4.3 apg, and eighth with 15.8 ppg.
• Junior Sonny Wilson ranks fifth with 17.0 ppg and seventh with 4.2 apg.
• Junior Austin Parks ranks seventh with a 59.2 FG% and tied for eighth with 1.0 bpg.
POSTGAME NOTES FROM TUESDAY'S WIN OVER WMU
• Leroy Blyden Jr. scored 36 points, including 27 in the second half, to tie for the most points by a Rocket freshman since Terry Reynolds scored 36 vs. Auburn on Nov. 25, 2000.
• Sonny Wilson tallied 14 points, a season-high eight rebounds and six assists. He attempted a career-high 13 free throws and has a streak of scoring in double figures of 30 games dating back to last season.
• Sean Craig registered his fourth double-double as a Rocket with 14 points and a season-high 13 rebounds.
• Kyler Vanderjagt's 15-point outing was his eighth double-digit outing of the season. He played a season-high 35 minutes and registered a team-best two steals.
• The Rockets are averaging just 8.0 turnovers per game in their last four contests.
• Toledo has an all-time mark of 40-35 in MAC openers and is 22-10 in home lid-lifters following its win over WMU.
• UT has a 15-game winning streak vs. WMU with its last loss to the Broncos on Feb. 21, 2017.
ON THE HORIZON
Toledo will remain on the road to face Northern Illinois (5-8, 1-1 MAC) on Tuesday, Jan. 6. The Rockets will then return home to host Miami (14-0, 2-0 MAC) on Friday, Jan. 9 and Ohio (7-7, 1-1 MAC) on Tuesday, Jan. 13.
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