Saturday, January 31
Toledo, Ohio
12:00 p.m.
University of Toledo
vs
Ball State
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
Sophomore Jaylan Ouwinga scored 13 points against Akron on Tuesday.
Photo by: Bree Bee
Toledo to Host Ball State on Saturday in Ninth-Annual Rockets for Life Game
1/30/2026 9:21:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Rockets and Cardinals to tip off at noon in Savage Arena
TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo men's basketball team (11-10, 5-4 MAC) looks to maintain its position in the upper half of the Mid-American Conference standings during its ninth-annual Rockets for Life game against Ball State (7-13, 3-5 MAC) on Saturday, Jan. 31. Tip-off is set for 12:00 p.m. in Savage Arena with streaming on ESPN+. The Rockets are in fourth place in the MAC standings, trailing Miami (21-0, 9-0), Akron (17-4, 8-1) and Kent State (16-5, 7-2).
Sonny Wilson scored a team-high 22 points and Leroy Blyden Jr. added 20 in Toledo's 91-81 setback to the Zips on Tuesday. Toledo shot 53.6% from the field and used a red-hot first half to take a 49-41 lead into the break. The back-and-forth contest featured 20 lead changes and was tied at 75-all with four minutes left before the Zips pulled away.
Jaylan Ouwinga joined Blyden and Wilson in double figures, finishing with 13 points. Sean Craig topped the Rockets with nine rebounds, with Wilson tying his career high with eight assists.
The Rockets shot 64.5% in the opening half and connected on 9-of-12 from beyond the arc. Wilson (17 pts.) and Blyden (11 pts.) combined for 28 first-half points, and Ouwinga gave Toledo its largest lead with the final basket of the opening stanza.
The Rockets are led by the backcourt duo of Wilson (17.1 ppg) and Blyden (16.3 ppg) along with the frontcourt tandem of Craig (12.4 ppg) and Austin Parks (11.3 ppg). Blyden leads all MAC freshmen with 16.1 ppg, while Wilson is dishing out a team-high 4.7 apg. Craig ranks third in the MAC with a team-best 8.0 rpg.
Ball State is riding a season-high three-game winning streak after opening league play with five losses. The Cardinals were idle Tuesday due to their bye in the league schedule. Armoni Zeigler is leading BSU with 13.2 ppg, 4.9 rpg and 2.8 apg. Davion Hill is also scoring in double digits with 12.6 ppg.
GAME INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026.
Tip-Off: 12:00 p.m.
Location: Toledo, Ohio.
Arena: Savage Arena (7,014).
Streaming: ESPN+. Mason Lowry will provide play-by-play with Rhett Boyd serving as analyst and Dannie Rogers as sideline reporter.
Radio: Rocket Radio Network. WSPD (1370 AM) in Toledo. Mark Beier will provide play-by-play for broadcast with Jay Lehman serving as analyst.
POST TOUCHES
• The Rockets are leading the MAC in attendance with an average of 4,397 fans following last Saturday's season-high crowd of 6,850 vs. Bowling Green. Toledo also ranks first in conference games only with an average attendance of 5,194.
• Toledo shot a season-high 55.0% (11-of-20) from three-point range vs. Akron on Tuesday and now ranks third in the MAC in league play with a 37.7 three-point FG%.
• Sonny Wilson's streak of scoring in double figures ended at 36 straight games last Saturday vs. Bowling Green. He responded by scoring a team-high 22 points and tying his career high with eight assists vs. Akron on Tuesday.
• Leroy Blyden Jr. and Wilson are leading the Rockets offensively in conference play and are sixth and 11th in the MAC with 19.1 ppg and 16.9 ppg, respectively.
• Blyden is averaging 20.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 4.0 apg, and 2.0 spg with a 57.8 FG% (37-of-64) and a 51.6 3PTFG% (16-of-31) in his last five contests.
• Sean Craig leads the MAC overall with 3.3 offensive rpg and 3.6 offensive rpg in MAC games only. He is also fourth in the MAC with a team-high six double-doubles and tallied 16 points and 13 rebounds vs. Miami followed by 15 points and 10 boards vs. Ohio.
• Craig tied season highs at UMass (Jan. 20) and Bowling Green (Jan. 24) with a trio of three-point FGs. He is shooting 50.0% (6-of-12) behind the arc in his last three contests.
• Austin Parks' career-high double-digit scoring streak ended at seven games with his eight-point outing at Akron. He is 28-of-30 from the free-throw line in his last six games.
• Parks scored 14 points and blocked a career-high five shots in last Saturday's win over BGSU.
• Jaylan Ouwinga scored a MAC career-high 13 points on Tuesday at Akron and has converted 10 of his last 11 free-throw attempts.
• The Rockets have made 16 more free throws than their opponents have attempted. In addition, Toledo has attempted 110 more free throws than its opponents.
• Toledo's 61.9 FG% vs. Ohio was its highest against a Division I opponent since shooting 63.5% vs. Western Michigan on Jan. 30, 2024.
DETAILING SATURDAY'S MATCHUP
• Toledo leads its all-time series vs. Ball State by a 57-50 margin and has a four-game winning streak vs. the Cardinals. UT has also won five of its last six home matchups vs. the Cardinals.
• Toledo swept last year's season series with a 93-75 road win and a 67-66 home victory.
• Ball State and Toledo rank first and second in league play in turnover margin with marks of plus-3.4 and plus-1.9, respectively.
ROCKETS IN THE NCAA & MAC RANKINGS (thru games played Jan. 28)
• Toledo ranks first in the MAC and 16th in the nation with its 78.0 FT%. The Rockets are also 22nd nationally with a MAC-low 15.0 personal fouls per game.
• Toledo is third in the MAC with a 1.47 assist/turnover ratio.
• Senior Sean Craig ranks first in the MAC with 3.3 offensive rpg and third with 8.0 rpg.
• Junior Sonny Wilson ranks seventh with 17.1 ppg and fifth with 4.7 apg.
• Freshman Leroy Blyden Jr. is fifth in the MAC with 1.7 spg, eighth with a 42.2 three-point FG%, ninth with 4.1 apg, and 10th with 16.3 ppg.
• Junior Austin Parks is eighth with a 59.9 FG% and is tied for seventh with 1.2 bpg.
ON THE HORIZON
Toledo will host third-place Kent State (16-5, 7-2 MAC) on Tuesday, Feb. 3 at 7:00 p.m. The Rockets will then begin a three-game road stretch with a trip to Harrisonburg, Va. to face James Madison (10-11, 3-6 SBC) on Saturday, Feb. 7 at 4:00 p.m. UT will then visit Western Michigan (13-8, 4-5 MAC) on Wednesday, Feb. 11 and Bowling Green (8-13, 2-7 MAC) on Saturday, Feb. 14.
Sonny Wilson scored a team-high 22 points and Leroy Blyden Jr. added 20 in Toledo's 91-81 setback to the Zips on Tuesday. Toledo shot 53.6% from the field and used a red-hot first half to take a 49-41 lead into the break. The back-and-forth contest featured 20 lead changes and was tied at 75-all with four minutes left before the Zips pulled away.
Jaylan Ouwinga joined Blyden and Wilson in double figures, finishing with 13 points. Sean Craig topped the Rockets with nine rebounds, with Wilson tying his career high with eight assists.
The Rockets shot 64.5% in the opening half and connected on 9-of-12 from beyond the arc. Wilson (17 pts.) and Blyden (11 pts.) combined for 28 first-half points, and Ouwinga gave Toledo its largest lead with the final basket of the opening stanza.
The Rockets are led by the backcourt duo of Wilson (17.1 ppg) and Blyden (16.3 ppg) along with the frontcourt tandem of Craig (12.4 ppg) and Austin Parks (11.3 ppg). Blyden leads all MAC freshmen with 16.1 ppg, while Wilson is dishing out a team-high 4.7 apg. Craig ranks third in the MAC with a team-best 8.0 rpg.
Ball State is riding a season-high three-game winning streak after opening league play with five losses. The Cardinals were idle Tuesday due to their bye in the league schedule. Armoni Zeigler is leading BSU with 13.2 ppg, 4.9 rpg and 2.8 apg. Davion Hill is also scoring in double digits with 12.6 ppg.
GAME INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026.
Tip-Off: 12:00 p.m.
Location: Toledo, Ohio.
Arena: Savage Arena (7,014).
Streaming: ESPN+. Mason Lowry will provide play-by-play with Rhett Boyd serving as analyst and Dannie Rogers as sideline reporter.
Radio: Rocket Radio Network. WSPD (1370 AM) in Toledo. Mark Beier will provide play-by-play for broadcast with Jay Lehman serving as analyst.
POST TOUCHES
• The Rockets are leading the MAC in attendance with an average of 4,397 fans following last Saturday's season-high crowd of 6,850 vs. Bowling Green. Toledo also ranks first in conference games only with an average attendance of 5,194.
• Toledo shot a season-high 55.0% (11-of-20) from three-point range vs. Akron on Tuesday and now ranks third in the MAC in league play with a 37.7 three-point FG%.
• Sonny Wilson's streak of scoring in double figures ended at 36 straight games last Saturday vs. Bowling Green. He responded by scoring a team-high 22 points and tying his career high with eight assists vs. Akron on Tuesday.
• Leroy Blyden Jr. and Wilson are leading the Rockets offensively in conference play and are sixth and 11th in the MAC with 19.1 ppg and 16.9 ppg, respectively.
• Blyden is averaging 20.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 4.0 apg, and 2.0 spg with a 57.8 FG% (37-of-64) and a 51.6 3PTFG% (16-of-31) in his last five contests.
• Sean Craig leads the MAC overall with 3.3 offensive rpg and 3.6 offensive rpg in MAC games only. He is also fourth in the MAC with a team-high six double-doubles and tallied 16 points and 13 rebounds vs. Miami followed by 15 points and 10 boards vs. Ohio.
• Craig tied season highs at UMass (Jan. 20) and Bowling Green (Jan. 24) with a trio of three-point FGs. He is shooting 50.0% (6-of-12) behind the arc in his last three contests.
• Austin Parks' career-high double-digit scoring streak ended at seven games with his eight-point outing at Akron. He is 28-of-30 from the free-throw line in his last six games.
• Parks scored 14 points and blocked a career-high five shots in last Saturday's win over BGSU.
• Jaylan Ouwinga scored a MAC career-high 13 points on Tuesday at Akron and has converted 10 of his last 11 free-throw attempts.
• The Rockets have made 16 more free throws than their opponents have attempted. In addition, Toledo has attempted 110 more free throws than its opponents.
• Toledo's 61.9 FG% vs. Ohio was its highest against a Division I opponent since shooting 63.5% vs. Western Michigan on Jan. 30, 2024.
DETAILING SATURDAY'S MATCHUP
• Toledo leads its all-time series vs. Ball State by a 57-50 margin and has a four-game winning streak vs. the Cardinals. UT has also won five of its last six home matchups vs. the Cardinals.
• Toledo swept last year's season series with a 93-75 road win and a 67-66 home victory.
• Ball State and Toledo rank first and second in league play in turnover margin with marks of plus-3.4 and plus-1.9, respectively.
ROCKETS IN THE NCAA & MAC RANKINGS (thru games played Jan. 28)
• Toledo ranks first in the MAC and 16th in the nation with its 78.0 FT%. The Rockets are also 22nd nationally with a MAC-low 15.0 personal fouls per game.
• Toledo is third in the MAC with a 1.47 assist/turnover ratio.
• Senior Sean Craig ranks first in the MAC with 3.3 offensive rpg and third with 8.0 rpg.
• Junior Sonny Wilson ranks seventh with 17.1 ppg and fifth with 4.7 apg.
• Freshman Leroy Blyden Jr. is fifth in the MAC with 1.7 spg, eighth with a 42.2 three-point FG%, ninth with 4.1 apg, and 10th with 16.3 ppg.
• Junior Austin Parks is eighth with a 59.9 FG% and is tied for seventh with 1.2 bpg.
ON THE HORIZON
Toledo will host third-place Kent State (16-5, 7-2 MAC) on Tuesday, Feb. 3 at 7:00 p.m. The Rockets will then begin a three-game road stretch with a trip to Harrisonburg, Va. to face James Madison (10-11, 3-6 SBC) on Saturday, Feb. 7 at 4:00 p.m. UT will then visit Western Michigan (13-8, 4-5 MAC) on Wednesday, Feb. 11 and Bowling Green (8-13, 2-7 MAC) on Saturday, Feb. 14.
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