Tuesday, January 6
DeKalb, Ill.
8:00 p.m.
University of Toledo
at
Northern Illinois
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
Junior Austin Parks registered his second double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds at Central Michigan.
Toledo Heading to NIU Looking to Remain Unbeaten in MAC Play
1/5/2026 1:39:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Rockets have rallied from 16-point deficits in each of first two league contests
TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo men's basketball team (8-6, 2-0 MAC) will look to continue its hot start to Mid-American Conference play when it travels to DeKalb, Ill. to face Northern Illinois (5-9, 1-2 MAC) on Tuesday, Jan. 6. Tip-off time from the NIU Convocation Center is set for 8:00 p.m. EST with streaming on ESPN+.
UT rallied from a pair of 16-point deficits last week in its wins over Western Michigan (84-79) and Central Michigan (78-75). Leroy Blyden Jr. exploded for a season-high 36 points against the Broncos, while Kyler Vanderjagt poured in a season-best 23 points vs. the Chippewas.
Vanderjagt, who played at CMU last year before transferring to Toledo, hit 6-of-9 shots from the field, knocked down two triples and converted 9-of-10 from the free-throw line. Austin Parks recorded his second double-double of the season with 15 points and a career-high 11 rebounds against the Chippewas. Sonny Wilson also tallied 16 points, six rebounds and five assists. Wilson's layup put the Rockets in front, 66-64, with 5:41 remaining and UT didn't trail the rest of the way.
The Rockets are led by the backcourt trio of Wilson (16.9 ppg), Blyden (15.4 ppg), and Vanderjagt (11.8 ppg) along with the frontcourt tandem of Sean Craig (13.0 ppg) and Parks (10.6 ppg). Craig ranks second in the MAC with a team-high 8.0 rpg, with Blyden leading the way with 4.4 apg and 1.6 spg.
Northern Illinois has dropped its last two games vs. Buffalo (81-67) and at Kent State (77-73) after opening league play with a 74-73 victory over Central Michigan.
Sophomore guard Makhai Valentine leads the Huskies with 13.4 ppg and 5.6 rpg. Freshman guard Dylan Ducommun ranks second on the team with 13.2 ppg and is dishing out a team-high 3.9 apg.
GAME INFORMATION
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026.
Tip-Off: 8:00 p.m. EST
Location: DeKalb, Ill.
Arena: Convocation Ctr. (10,000).
Streaming: ESPN+. Conor Clingen will provide play-by-play with Jason Larson serving as analyst.
Radio: Rocket Radio Network. WSPD (1370 AM) in Toledo. Mark Beier will provide play-by-play for the broadcast.
DETAILING TUESDAY'S MATCHUP
• Toledo leads its all-time series vs. Northern Illinois by a 54-32 margin and has won six of its last seven matchups vs. the Huskies
• The Rockets have also won six of their last seven games in DeKalb and possesses a 12-9 all-time mark in NIU's Convocation Center.
• Toledo posted an 89-85 home win over NIU last year. The Rockets never trailed in the contest and led by as many as 19 points in the first half.
ROCKETS IN THE NCAA & MAC RANKINGS (thru games played Jan. 4)
• Toledo ranks second in the MAC and 20th in the nation with its 77.2 FT%. The Rockets are also 15th nationally with 14. 5 personal fouls per game.
• Toledo ranks third in the MAC a 1.55 assist/turnover ratio, 12.4 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 fifth with an 86.8 FT%.
• Freshman Leroy Blyden Jr. is tied for sixth in the MAC with 1.6 spg, sixth with 4.4 apg, and 11th with 15.4 ppg.
• Junior Sonny Wilson ranks seventh with 16.9 ppg and seventh with 4.3 apg.
• Junior Austin Parks ranks eighth with 1.0 bpg and 10th with 57.7 FG%.
POSTGAME NOTES FROM SATURDAY'S WIN OVER CMU
• Sonny Wilson has scored in double figures in 31 straight games dating back to last season.
• Kyler Vanderjagt's 23 points were two points shy of his career high set last year as a member of the Chippewas. He has nine double-digit outings this season.
• Toledo has won seven of its last eight meetings vs. the Chippewas.
• Toledo converted 18-of-22 attempts from the free-throw line in the final 20 minutes.
• The Rockets committed just seven turnovers and are averaging 7.8 miscues per game in their last five contests.
• Toledo dominated the glass with a 41–28 rebounding advantage, including 13 on the offensive end.
• Toledo has won its last two games when having a lower FG% than its opponent after losing its first six games of the season when this occurred.
ROAD WARRIORS
The Rockets are 2-3 in road games this season and have posted a 42-30 (.583) win-loss mark in road games since the start of the 2020-21 campaign. Toledo possesses a 65-51 (.565) win-loss mark on enemy courts since the start of the 2017-18 season.
ON THE HORIZON
Toledo will return home to host Miami (15-0, 3-0 MAC) on Friday, Jan. 9 and Ohio (8-7, 2-1 MAC) on Tuesday, Jan. 13. Friday's matchup vs. the RedHawks will be televised nationally on the CBS Sports Network and will tip off at 6:00 p.m.
UT rallied from a pair of 16-point deficits last week in its wins over Western Michigan (84-79) and Central Michigan (78-75). Leroy Blyden Jr. exploded for a season-high 36 points against the Broncos, while Kyler Vanderjagt poured in a season-best 23 points vs. the Chippewas.
Vanderjagt, who played at CMU last year before transferring to Toledo, hit 6-of-9 shots from the field, knocked down two triples and converted 9-of-10 from the free-throw line. Austin Parks recorded his second double-double of the season with 15 points and a career-high 11 rebounds against the Chippewas. Sonny Wilson also tallied 16 points, six rebounds and five assists. Wilson's layup put the Rockets in front, 66-64, with 5:41 remaining and UT didn't trail the rest of the way.
The Rockets are led by the backcourt trio of Wilson (16.9 ppg), Blyden (15.4 ppg), and Vanderjagt (11.8 ppg) along with the frontcourt tandem of Sean Craig (13.0 ppg) and Parks (10.6 ppg). Craig ranks second in the MAC with a team-high 8.0 rpg, with Blyden leading the way with 4.4 apg and 1.6 spg.
Northern Illinois has dropped its last two games vs. Buffalo (81-67) and at Kent State (77-73) after opening league play with a 74-73 victory over Central Michigan.
Sophomore guard Makhai Valentine leads the Huskies with 13.4 ppg and 5.6 rpg. Freshman guard Dylan Ducommun ranks second on the team with 13.2 ppg and is dishing out a team-high 3.9 apg.
GAME INFORMATION
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026.
Tip-Off: 8:00 p.m. EST
Location: DeKalb, Ill.
Arena: Convocation Ctr. (10,000).
Streaming: ESPN+. Conor Clingen will provide play-by-play with Jason Larson serving as analyst.
Radio: Rocket Radio Network. WSPD (1370 AM) in Toledo. Mark Beier will provide play-by-play for the broadcast.
DETAILING TUESDAY'S MATCHUP
• Toledo leads its all-time series vs. Northern Illinois by a 54-32 margin and has won six of its last seven matchups vs. the Huskies
• The Rockets have also won six of their last seven games in DeKalb and possesses a 12-9 all-time mark in NIU's Convocation Center.
• Toledo posted an 89-85 home win over NIU last year. The Rockets never trailed in the contest and led by as many as 19 points in the first half.
ROCKETS IN THE NCAA & MAC RANKINGS (thru games played Jan. 4)
• Toledo ranks second in the MAC and 20th in the nation with its 77.2 FT%. The Rockets are also 15th nationally with 14. 5 personal fouls per game.
• Toledo ranks third in the MAC a 1.55 assist/turnover ratio, 12.4 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 fifth with an 86.8 FT%.
• Freshman Leroy Blyden Jr. is tied for sixth in the MAC with 1.6 spg, sixth with 4.4 apg, and 11th with 15.4 ppg.
• Junior Sonny Wilson ranks seventh with 16.9 ppg and seventh with 4.3 apg.
• Junior Austin Parks ranks eighth with 1.0 bpg and 10th with 57.7 FG%.
POSTGAME NOTES FROM SATURDAY'S WIN OVER CMU
• Sonny Wilson has scored in double figures in 31 straight games dating back to last season.
• Kyler Vanderjagt's 23 points were two points shy of his career high set last year as a member of the Chippewas. He has nine double-digit outings this season.
• Toledo has won seven of its last eight meetings vs. the Chippewas.
• Toledo converted 18-of-22 attempts from the free-throw line in the final 20 minutes.
• The Rockets committed just seven turnovers and are averaging 7.8 miscues per game in their last five contests.
• Toledo dominated the glass with a 41–28 rebounding advantage, including 13 on the offensive end.
• Toledo has won its last two games when having a lower FG% than its opponent after losing its first six games of the season when this occurred.
ROAD WARRIORS
The Rockets are 2-3 in road games this season and have posted a 42-30 (.583) win-loss mark in road games since the start of the 2020-21 campaign. Toledo possesses a 65-51 (.565) win-loss mark on enemy courts since the start of the 2017-18 season.
ON THE HORIZON
Toledo will return home to host Miami (15-0, 3-0 MAC) on Friday, Jan. 9 and Ohio (8-7, 2-1 MAC) on Tuesday, Jan. 13. Friday's matchup vs. the RedHawks will be televised nationally on the CBS Sports Network and will tip off at 6:00 p.m.
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