TOLEDO, Ohio -- Toledo (11-0) looks to cap off a perfect non-conference home season and remain among the ranks of the unbeaten on Saturday, Dec. 28 when it hosts MEAC foe Coppin State (4-7) in Savage Arena. Tip-off time is set for 2:00 p.m. Entering Friday’s action, the Rockets were one of nine schools in the nation yet to be saddled with a loss.UT has registered its best start to a season since its 1966-67 squad opened with 14 consecutive wins en route to a 23-2 mark. With one more victory, the Rockets would match the 1940-41 squad for the program’s second-best opening to a season.
All five of Toledo’s starters are averaging in double figures in the scoring column, led by senior G Rian Pearson at 16.1 ppg. He is followed by junior G Justin Drummond (14.9 ppg), junior G Julius Brown (12.8 ppg), junior F J.D. Weatherspoon (11.3 ppg) and sophomore C Nathan Boothe (10.7 ppg).Pearson ranks fourth in the MAC in scoring and has ranked among the league’s top four scorers in each of his three seasons as a Rocket.
Brown ranks fifth nationally with 7.4 apg and second in the MAC with a 2.5 assist/turnover ratio. He has registered two double-doubles this season with 23 points and 10 assists at Boston College and 18 points and 11 assists vs. Florida A&M.
Toledo is 5-0 this year in games decided by four points or less, including a 71-67 win over Cleveland St. in its most recent outing.
The Rockets have made 60 more free throws (253) than their opponents have attempted (193). UT has a .744 free-throw percentage and ranks fourth nationally at 22.9 free throws made per game.
Senior F Michael Murray paces Coppin State offensively with 15.7 ppg, while junior F Brandon St. Louis is grabbing a team-high 5.8 rpg.
The Eagles, who will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak, defeated PAC-12 foe Oregon State earlier this season by a 78-73 margin.
GAME NOTES (PDF)
Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk posted a seven-win improvement from Year 1 (10-20) to Year 2 (17-11) at Green Bay. He doubled that feat and more at Toledo in the 2011-12 campaign as UT registered 15 more wins than his first season at the Rocket helm. Last year, Kowalczyk guided Toledo to a 15-13 ledger as the Midnight Blue and Gold tied for first place in the MAC’s West Division. He now has UT in position as one of the favorites to capture the league title and put the Rockets into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1980.
When looking at his career record minus his first season at the helm at both Green Bay and Toledo, Coach Kowalczyk’s record is 171-122 (.584) overall and 86-64 (.573) in conference play.
ROCKETS IN THE POLLS
Toledo is ranked No. 3 in this week’s CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 Poll for its highest ranking ever in the 15-year history of the poll. The Rockets received 717 points and are one of four MAC schools to appear in the poll with No. 11 Akron (485), No. 14 Kent State (351) and No. 18 Ohio (225) also ranked. Eastern Michigan (35) is also receiving votes.
UT also is moving up the national polls and received 27 votes (No. 30) in this week’s Associated Press Top 25 poll and 13 votes (No. 31) in this week’s ESPN/USA Today Coaches Top 25 poll.
The Rockets are also a near-unanimous pick to win the MAC’s West Division. UT received 24 first-place votes and 149 points in the conference’s preseason poll, while Akron was tabbed as the East Division winner with 18 first-place votes and 143 points.
ROCKETS RANKING AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS
Toledo’s red-hot start to the 2013-14 campaign has been buoyed by a high-scoring offense that is tied for seventh nationally (through games played Sunday, Dec. 22) with 86.4 ppg. The Rockets also rank 11th with an impressive 1.65 assist/turnover ratio.
A ROCKET VICTORY OVER COPPIN STATE WOULD...
- Equal UT’s second-best start to a season in school history, matching the 1940-41 squad’s opening. The Rockets’ school record is 14 by the 1966-67 edition.
- Extend Toledo’s winning streak dating back to the 2012-13 campaign to 14, equalling the third-longest in school history. The Rockets’ longest win streak is 17 from Feb. 19, 1940 - Jan. 25, 1941. UT also won 16 in a row from Feb. 14, 1947 - Dec. 30, 1948 and 14 straight from Dec. 3, 1966 - Feb. 1, 1967.
- Improve UT’s home record to 6-0 and extend the Rockets’ home court win streak to seven games.
- Give Toledo its first victory over Coppin State in three meetings.
Toledo will close out its non-conference schedule at No. 16 Kansas (8-3) on Monday, Dec. 30 in a game that can be seen on ESPN3.
UT opens its MAC season at Western Michigan (6-5) on Wednesday, Jan. 8 with its first conf
erence home game vs. Central Michigan (6-5) on Saturday, Jan. 11.
COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS
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