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2023–24 Toledo Rockets men's basketball team

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2023–24 Toledo Rockets men's basketball
MAC regular-season champions
ConferenceMid-American Conference
Record20–12 (14–4 MAC)
Head coach
Associate head coachJeff Massey (10th season)
Assistant coaches
Home arenaSavage Arena
Seasons
2024–25 →
2023–24 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Toledo 14 4   .778 20 12   .625
Akron 13 5   .722 24 11   .686
Ohio 13 5   .722 20 13   .606
Central Michigan 12 6   .667 18 14   .563
Bowling Green 10 8   .556 20 14   .588
Western Michigan 9 9   .500 12 20   .375
Miami (OH) 9 9   .500 15 17   .469
Kent State 8 10   .444 17 17   .500
Ball State 7 11   .389 15 16   .484
Eastern Michigan 6 12   .333 13 18   .419
Northern Illinois 5 13   .278 11 20   .355
Buffalo 2 16   .111 4 27   .129
2024 MAC tournament winner

The 2023–24 Toledo Rockets men's basketball team represented the University of Toledo during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Rockets, led by 14th-year head coach Tod Kowalczyk, played their home games at Savage Arena in Toledo, Ohio, as members of the Mid-American Conference (MAC).[1][2] They finished the season 20–12, 14–4 in MAC play, to win their fourth straight regular-season MAC championship. They were upset by Kent State in the quarterfinals of the MAC tournament.[3][4] Toledo was not selected for the National Invitation Tournament and declined to participate in the College Basketball Invitational and the CollegeInsider.com tournament.[5]

Previous season

[edit]

The Rockets finished 27–8 and won their third straight regular-season championship with a 16–2 record in MAC play.[6][7] They defeated Miami and Ohio in the first two rounds of the MAC tournament before losing to Kent State in the final.[8][9][10] As a regular-season champion who did not win their conference tournament, they received an automatic bid to the National Invitation Tournament, where they lost to Michigan in the first round.[11]

Offseason

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Departures

[edit]
Departures
Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
EJ Farmer G 6'5" 170 Sophomore Cleveland, OH Transferred to Youngstown State
Elijah Wilson G 6'5" 180 Sophomore Lithonia, GA Transferred to Maryland Eastern Shore
Setric Millner Jr. F 6'7" 205 Senior Little Rock, AR Exhausted Eligibility
RayJ Dennis G 6'2" 180 Junior Plainfield, IL Transferred to Baylor
Kooper Jacobi F 6'6" 200 Sophomore Sellersburg, IN Transferred to Eastern Illinois
A. J. Edu F/C 6'10" 225 Junior Colchester, England Turned professional with Toyama Grouses
J Wallace G 6'5" 185 Freshman Bath, MI Entered transfer portal
Cooper Davis G 6'5" 190 Freshman Powell, OH Transferred to Ashland
JT Shumate F 6'7" 210 Senior Newark, OH Exhausted eligibility

Source:[12]

Incoming transfers

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Transfers
Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous school
Ben Wight C 6'9" 220 RS Junior Columbus, OH Transferred from William & Mary
Marko Maletic G 6'6" 208 Sophomore London, ON Transferred from Long Island

Source:[12]

Recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Bryce Ford
G
Scottsdale, AZ Pinnacle 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg)  
Recruiting star ratings: RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A
Sonny Wilson
G
Pontiac, MI Detroit Jesuit 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg)  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   RivalsN/A   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN grade: 79
Xavier Thomas
F
Detroit, MI Brother Rice 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 225 lb (102 kg)  
Recruiting star ratings: RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: NR
Sam Lewis
G
Chicago, IL Simeon Academy 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg)  
Recruiting star ratings: RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: NR
Grgur Brcic
F
Zagreb, Croatia Northampton School 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg)  
Recruiting star ratings: RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Roster

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2023–24 Toledo Rockets men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Ra'Heim Moss 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jr SPIRE Academy Springfield, OH
F 1 Javan Simmons 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 235 lb (107 kg) RS Fr Gahanna Lincoln Gahanna, OH
G 2 Bryce Ford 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Pinnacle Scottsdale, AZ
G 3 Sonny Wilson 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Detroit Jesuit Pontiac, MI
F 4 Xavier Thomas 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Fr Brother Rice Detroit, MI
G 11 Sam Lewis 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Simeon Academy Chicago, IL
F 13 Andre Lorentsson 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr Saint Louis Gothenburg, Sweden
G 21 Dante Jr. Maddox 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Cal State Fullerton Chicago Heights, IL
G 23 Tyler Cochran 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Ball State Bolingbrook, IL
F 24 Grgur Brcic 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Fr Northampton School Zagreb, Croatia
G 27 Marko Maletic 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 208 lb (94 kg) So Long Island London, ON
F 35 Ben Wight 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr William & Mary Columbus, OH
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: September 29, 2023

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 21, 2023*
2:00 p.m.
Ferris State W 93–62 
 19  Maddox Jr.   9  Cochran        Savage Arena 
Toledo, OH
October 29, 2023*
4:00 p.m.
Findlay W 95–70 
 19  Moss              Savage Arena 
Toledo, OH
Non-conference regular season
November 6, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Detroit Mercy W 94–60  1–0
 15  Moss   8  Moss   5  Moss  Savage Arena (4,223)
Toledo, OH
November 11, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Louisiana
MAC–SBC Challenge
W 87–78  2–0
 18  Cochran   5  Moss   4  Cochran  Savage Arena (4,290)
Toledo, OH
November 14, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Wright State W 78–77  3–0
 20  Maddox Jr.   7  Moss   4  Maddox Jr.  Nutter Center (4,239)
Dayton, OH
November 21, 2023*
11:15 p.m., FloHoops
vs. New Mexico
Ball Dawgs Classic
L 84–92  3–1
 23  Maddox Jr.   5  Maddox Jr.   6  Wilson  Dollar Loan Center 
Henderson, NV
November 22, 2023*
11:45 p.m., FloHoops
vs. UC Irvine
Ball Dawgs Classic
L 71–77  3–2
 19  Moss   6  Wilson   4  Moss  Dollar Loan Center 
Henderson, NV
November 24, 2023*
2:00 p.m., FloHoops
vs. Indiana State
Ball Dawgs Classic
L 74–76  3–3
 14  Simmons   7  Cochran   4  Cochran  Dollar Loan Center 
Henderson, NV
December 2, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
George Mason L 77–86  3–4
 24  Maddox Jr.   8  Cochran   2  tied  Savage Arena (3,907)
Toledo, OH
December 6, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Oakland W 69–68  4–4
 20  Maddox Jr.   8  Simmons   4  Moss  Athletics Center O'rena (2,893)
Rochester, MI
December 9, 2023*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
Northern Iowa W 84–80  5–4
 21  Moss   12  Cochran   2  tied  Savage Arena (4,041)
Toledo, OH
December 13, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Marshall W 88–87  6–4
 33  Cochran   12  Moss   5  Cochran  Savage Arena (3,878)
Toledo, OH
December 20, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Vermont L 60–86  6–5
 12  Cochran   8  Moss   6  Moss  Savage Arena (4,031)
Toledo, OH
December 23, 2023*
1:00 p.m., ESPN+
at West Virginia L 81–91  6–6
 21  Moss   6  tied   4  Maddox Jr.  WVU Coliseum (10,693)
Morgantown, WV
MAC regular season
January 2, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPNU
at Ohio W 86–77  7–6
(1–0)
 18  tied   7  Cochran   3  tied  Convocation Center (4,016)
Athens, OH
January 5, 2024
2:00 p.m., CBSSN
Miami (OH) W 68–64  8–6
(2–0)
 18  Moss   6  Moss   2  tied  Savage Arena (4,428)
Toledo, OH
January 9, 2024
7:00 p.m., CBSSN
at Kent State W 89–75  9–6
(3–0)
 21  Cochran   6  tied   4  Moss  MAC Center (1,786)
Kent, OH
January 13, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Ball State W 77–72  10–6
(4–0)
 24  Moss   7  Maddox Jr.   5  Maddox Jr.  Savage Arena (4,413)
Toledo, OH
January 16, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Buffalo W 77–66  11–6
(5–0)
 21  Maddox Jr.   10  Cochran   7  Moss  Savage Arena (3,689)
Toledo, OH
January 19, 2024
7:00 p.m., CBSSN
at Central Michigan L 62–65  11–7
(5–1)
 21  Maddox Jr.   10  Cochran   3  Cochran  McGuirk Arena (2,254)
Mount Pleasant, MI
January 23, 2024
8:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Northern Illinois W 89–73  12–7
(6–1)
 20  Moss   7  Maddox Jr.   3  tied  Convocation Center (1,534)
DeKalb, IL
January 27, 2024
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
Bowling Green W 88–72  13–7
(7–1)
 26  Maddox Jr.   10  Cochran   10  Moss  Savage Arena (7,318)
Toledo, OH
January 30, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Western Michigan W 88–63  14–7
(8–1)
 19  Simmons   6  tied   4  Maddox Jr.  Savage Arena (3,915)
Toledo, OH
February 3, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Akron L 70–77  14–8
(8–2)
 16  Moss   9  Cochran   4  Moss  James A. Rhodes Arena (3,151)
Akron, OH
February 6, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Eastern Michigan W 91–87  15–8
(9–2)
 20  tied   8  Simmons   4  Cochran  George Gervin GameAbove Center (1,542)
Ypsilanti, MI
February 10, 2024*
1:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Appalachian State
MAC-SBC Challenge
L 104–109 2OT 15–9
 25  Maddox Jr.   10  Simmons   5  Maddox Jr.  Holmes Center (5,437)
Boone, NC
February 16, 2024
9:00 p.m., ESPNU
Ohio W 85–83  16–9
(10–2)
 21  Maddox Jr.   16  Simmons   6  Maddox Jr.  Savage Arena (5,079)
Toledo, OH
February 20, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Akron W 72–64  17–9
(11–2)
 18  Wilson   9  Maddox Jr.   6  Simmons  Savage Arena (5,547)
Toledo, OH
February 23, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Bowling Green L 68–76  17–10
(11–3)
 19  Moss   7  Cochran   3  tied  Stroh Center (4,032)
Bowling Green, OH
February 27, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Northern Illinois L 72–75  17–11
(11–4)
 27  Cochran   9  Maddox Jr.   5  Wilson  Savage Arena (4,692)
Toledo, OH
March 2, 2024
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Buffalo W 85–79  18–11
(12–4)
 20  Wilson   9  Wilson   5  Cochran  Alumni Arena (2,476)
Buffalo, NY
March 5, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Miami (OH) W 97–63  19–11
(13–4)
 22  Cochran   9  Maddox Jr.   5  Maddox Jr.  Millett Hall (1,847)
Oxford, OH
March 8, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Kent State W 86–71  20–11
(14–4)
 21  Moss   8  Simmons   7  Moss  Savage Arena 
Toledo, OH
MAC tournament
March 14, 2024
11:00 a.m., ESPN+
(1) vs. (8) Kent State
Quarterfinals
L 59–67  20–12
 19  Maddox Jr.   9  Maddox Jr.   6  Moss  Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse 
Cleveland, OH
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern.

Sources:[13][14]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "John F. Savage Arena". Toledo Athletics. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  2. ^ "Tod Kowalczyk". Toledo Athletics. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  3. ^ Clark, Dave (March 9, 2024). "MAC basketball tournament bracket set; Miami RedHawks face Akron in first round". Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  4. ^ "Kent State 67, Toledo 59". ESPN. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  5. ^ Rowland, Kyle (March 18, 2024). "Toledo men's basketball not selected for NIT, passes on CBI and CIT". Toledo Blade. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  6. ^ Rowland, Kyle (March 3, 2023). "History: Toledo men win third consecutive outright MAC Championship". Toledo Blade. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  7. ^ "MAC Basketball Standings - 2022-23". ESPN. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  8. ^ "Miami 75, Toledo 91". ESPN. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  9. ^ "Ohio 75, Toledo 82". ESPN. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  10. ^ "Toledo 78, Kent State 93". ESPN. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  11. ^ "Bufkin, Baker lead Michigan past Toledo 90-80 in NIT". CBS Sports. March 15, 2023. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  12. ^ a b "2023 D1 Basketball Transfers". Verbal Commits. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  13. ^ "2023-24 Men's Basketball Schedule". University of Toledo Athletics. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  14. ^ "Toledo Rockets Schedule 2023-24". ESPN. Retrieved September 16, 2024.