2018–19 Toledo Rockets men's basketball team

The 2018–19 Toledo Rockets men's basketball team represented the University of Toledo during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Rockets were led by eighth-year head coach Tod Kowalczyk, and played their home games at Savage Arena, as members of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference. They finished the season 25–8, 13–5 in MAC play to be champions of the West Division. They lost in the quarterfinals of the MAC Tournament to Northern Illinois. They received an at-large bid to the National Invitation Tournament where they lost in the first round to Xavier.

2018–19 Toledo Rockets men's basketball
Gulf Coast Showcase champions
MAC West division champions
NIT, First Round
ConferenceMid-American Conference
DivisionWest Division
2018–19 record25–8 (13–5 MAC)
Head coachTod Kowalczyk (9th season)
Assistant coaches
Home arenaSavage Arena
2018–19 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
East
No. 15 Buffalo162 .889  324  .889
Bowling Green126 .667  2212  .647
Kent State117 .611  2211  .667
Akron810 .444  1716  .515
Miami (OH)711 .389  1517  .469
Ohio612 .333  1417  .452
West
Toledo135 .722  258  .758
Central Michigan108 .556  2312  .657
Eastern Michigan99 .500  1517  .469
Northern Illinois810 .444  1717  .500
Ball State612 .333  1617  .485
Western Michigan216 .111  824  .250
2019 MAC Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

Previous season

The Rockets finished the 2017–18 season 23–11, 13–5 in MAC play to win the MAC West division championship. As the No. 2 seed in the MAC Tournament, they defeated Miami and Eastern Michigan before losing to Buffalo in the tournament championship. Despite winning 23 games, they did not participate in a postseason tournament.

Offseason

Departures

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownReason for departure
Dwayne Rose Jr.1G6'3"185FreshmanCrete, ILTransferred to Southwestern Illinois College
Taylor Adway2F6'9"215JuniorHazel Crest, ILGraduate transferred to Ferris State
Tre'Shaun Fletcher4G/F6'7"205SeniorWilmar, ARGraduated
Justin Roberts5G5'10"170SophomoreLawrence, KSTransferred to Niagara
Vicpatrick Harris10G6'2"195SeniorChicago, ILGraduated

Incoming transfers

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownPrevious college
Chris Darrington32G6'1"179SeniorToledo, OHTransferred from Tennessee. Will be eligible to play immediately since Darrington graduated from Tennessee.

Recruiting class of 2018

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Keshaun Saunders
SG
Brampton, ON Orangeville Prep 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Feb 13, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
T. J. Smith
SG
Matteson, IL Marian Catholic High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Nov 22, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
A. J. Edu
PF
England South Gloucestershire and Stroud College 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 250 lb (110 kg) Apr 12, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/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:

  • "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 27, 2018.

    Recruiting class of 2019

    Roster

    2018–19 Toledo Rockets men's basketball team
    PlayersCoaches
    Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
    F 0 James Gordon IV 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)225 lb (102 kg) RS SoChicago Simeon Shelbyville, KY
    F 1 T. J. Smith 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)195 lb (88 kg) FrAspire Academy Matteson, IL
    G 3 Marreon Jackson 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)175 lb (79 kg) SoGarfield Heights Cleveland, OH
    G 11 Spencer Litleson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)200 lb (91 kg) RS SoRochester Adams
    Duquesne
    Rochester Hills, MI
    G 13 Jaelan Sanford 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)200 lb (91 kg) SrReitz Evansville, IN
    F 15 A. J. Edu 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)215 lb (98 kg) FrSouth Gloucestershire and Stroud College Colchester, England
    G 20 Matt Schaffer (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)185 lb (84 kg) JrSouthview Sylvania, OH
    G 21 Dylan Alderson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)205 lb (93 kg) SoClarkston Clarkston, MI
    G 22 Blake Williams (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)185 lb (84 kg) SoSt. John's Jesuit Holland, OH
    F 23 Willie Jackson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)215 lb (98 kg) JrGarfield Heights
    Missouri
    Cleveland, OH
    G 24 Keshaun Saunders 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)190 lb (86 kg) FrOrangeville Prep Brampton, ON
    C 30 Luke Knapke 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)245 lb (111 kg) RS JrMarion Local Maria Stein, OH
    G 32 Chris Darrington 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)185 lb (84 kg) SrScott
    Tennessee
    Toledo, OH
    F 35 Nate Navigato 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)225 lb (102 kg) SrGeneva Geneva, IL
    F 41 Logan Hill 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)215 lb (98 kg) RS FrJackson Massillon, OH
    Head coach
    Assistant coach(es)

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

    Roster

    Schedule and results

    Date
    time, TV
    Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
    city, state
    Exhibition
    Nov 3, 2018*
    2:30 pm
    Hillsdale W 72–63[1] 
    Savage Arena 
    Toledo, OH
    Non-conference regular season
    Nov 9, 2018*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    at Oakland W 87–86  1–0
    Athletics Center O'rena (3,841)
    Rochester, MI
    Nov 10, 2018*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    Wilberforce
    Gulf Coast Showcase campus site game
    W 99–58  2–0
    Savage Arena (4,839)
    Toledo, OH
    Nov 14, 2018*
    4:00 pm, ESPN+
    at Wright State L 74–84  2–1
    Nutter Center (3,263)
    Fairborn, OH
    Nov 19, 2018*
    7:30 pm
    vs. Florida Gulf Coast
    Gulf Coast Showcase Quarterfinals
    W 90–62  3–1
    Hertz Arena 
    Estero, FL
    Nov 20, 2018*
    7:30 pm
    vs. Louisiana
    Gulf Coast Showcase Semifinals
    W 77–64  4–1
    Hertz Arena (567)
    Estero, FL
    Nov 21, 2018*
    7:30 pm
    vs. UC Irvine
    Gulf Coast Showcase championship
    W 67–60  5–1
    Hertz Arena (1,031)
    Estero, FL
    Nov 28, 2018*
    7:00 pm, ESPN+
    North Alabama W 80–59  6–1
    Savage Arena (3,714)
    Toledo, OH
    Dec 1, 2018*
    2:00 pm, ESPN+
    Cleveland State W 80–67  7–1
    Savage Arena (4,636)
    Toledo, OH
    Dec 5, 2018*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    Detroit Mercy W 101–57  8–1
    Savage Arena (3,629)
    Toledo, OH
    Dec 8, 2018*
    2:30 pm
    at Marshall W 75–74 OT 9–1
    Cam Henderson Center (6,232)
    Huntington, WV
    Dec 15, 2018*
    7:00 pm, ESPN+
    Middle Tennessee W 84–62  10–1
    Savage Arena (4,205)
    Toledo, OH
    Dec 19, 2018*
    7:00 pm, ESPN+
    Cornell W 86–70  11–1
    Savage Arena (3,748)
    Toledo, OH
    Dec 29, 2018*
    7:00 pm, ESPN+
    Penn W 77–45  12–1
    Savage Arena (4,786)
    Toledo, OH
    MAC regular season
    Jan 4, 2019
    7:00 pm, CBSSN
    Ball State L 64–79  12–2
    (0–1)
    Savage Arena (5,023)
    Toledo, OH
    Jan 8, 2019
    7:00 pm, ESPN+
    at No. 19 Buffalo L 80–110  12–3
    (0–2)
    Alumni Arena (5,144)
    Amherst, NY
    Jan 12, 2019
    7:00 pm, ESPN+
    at Western Michigan W 85–77  13–3
    (1–2)
    University Arena (5,421)
    Kalamazoo, MI
    Jan 15, 2019
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    Miami (OH) W 71–59  14–3
    (2–2)
    Savage Arena (4,386)
    Toledo, OH
    Jan 18, 2019
    7:00 pm, CBSSN
    Ohio W 75–52  15–3
    (3–2)
    Savage Arena (5,037)
    Toledo, OH
    Jan 22, 2019
    7:00 pm, ESPN+
    at Kent State L 85–87 OT 15–4
    (3–3)
    MAC Center (2,205)
    Kent, OH
    Jan 26, 2019
    7:00 pm, ESPN+
    Central Michigan W 76–72  16–4
    (4–3)
    Savage Arena (5,211)
    Toledo, OH
    Jan 29, 2019
    7:00 pm, ESPN+
    at Miami (OH) W 66–63  17–4
    (5–3)
    Millett Hall (1,677)
    Oxford, OH
    Feb 2, 2019
    3:00 pm, ESPN+
    at Northern Illinois W 69–55  18–4
    (6–3)
    Convocation Center (1,348)
    DeKalb, IL
    Feb 5, 2019
    7:00 pm, ESPN+
    Akron W 63–52  19–4
    (7–3)
    Savage Arena (3,895)
    Toledo, OH
    Feb 9, 2019
    6:00 pm, ESPN3
    at Bowling Green W 78–71  20–4
    (8–3)
    Stroh Center (5,000)
    Bowling Green, OH
    Feb 15, 2019
    7:00 pm, ESPNU
    No. 25 Buffalo L 82–88  20–5
    (8–4)
    Savage Arena (7,401)
    Toledo, OH
    Feb 19, 2019
    7:00 pm, ESPN+
    at Eastern Michigan L 69–76  20–6
    (8–5)
    Convocation Center (1,849)
    Ypsilanti, MI
    Feb 23, 2019
    6:00 pm, CBSSN
    Northern Illinois W 57–54  21–6
    (9–5)
    Savage Arena (5,534)
    Toledo, OH
    Feb 26, 2019
    7:00 pm, ESPN+
    at Ball State W 80–72  22–6
    (10–5)
    Worthen Arena (4,691)
    Muncie, IN
    Mar 2, 2019
    4:30 pm, ESPN+
    at Central Michigan W 80–68  23–6
    (11–5)
    McGuirk Arena (2,216)
    Mount Pleasant, MI
    Mar 5, 2019
    7:00 pm, ESPN+
    Western Michigan W 76–57  24–6
    (12–5)
    Savage Arena (4,233)
    Toledo, OH
    Mar 8, 2019
    7:00 pm, ESPN+
    Eastern Michigan W 64–58  25–6
    (13–5)
    Savage Arena (6,061)
    Toledo, OH
    MAC Tournament
    Mar 14, 2019
    6:30 pm, ESPN+
    (2) vs. (7) Northern Illinois
    Quarterfinals
    L 76-80  25–7
    Quicken Loans Arena 
    Cleveland, OH
    NIT
    Mar 20, 2019*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    (6) at (3) Xavier
    First round – Alabama bracket
    L 64–78  25–8
    Cintas Center (5,769)
    Cincinnati, OH
    *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
    All times are in Eastern Time.

    Source[2]

    References

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