TOLEDO, Ohio - The Toledo men's basketball team (20-11, 14-4 MAC) opens play in the 2024 Mid-American Conference Tournament as the No. 1 seed on Thursday, March 14 against No. 8 seed Kent State (15-16, 8-10 MAC). The contest will be televised on ESPN+ and tip off in Cleveland's Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse at 11:00 a.m.

The Rockets are the second MAC school ever to win four straight outright league titles and finished a game in front of Akron and Ohio in the league standings.

Ra'Heim Moss is leading the Rockets offensively with a career-high 15.9 ppg. He is followed by Dante Maddox Jr. (15.4), Tyler Cochran (14.4) and Javan Simmons (12.4).

Junior guard Jalen Sullinger leads Kent State with 15.1 ppg and a 39.7 three-point FG%. The Golden Flashes have lost four of their last six contests with each defeat coming on the road.

Each of Toledo's wins over Kent State this season was by a double-digit margin. The Rockets posted 54.8 FG%, 47.2 3PTFG% and 83.0 FT% vs. the Golden Flashes with Moss leading the way with 17.0 ppg.

Tickets for the tournament can be purchased online at utrockets.com/mactournament, by calling 419.530.GOLD, or visiting the Rocket Ticket Office in Savage Arena. Only tickets purchased through the Athletic Department will be in the Rocket section of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

All ticketing is digital per the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and tickets will be transferred before each game via email. A Rocket Ticket Office representative will be on-site at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (Cleveland Cliffs entrance -corner of Huron and E 6th) if you need assistance on the day of the game. For assistance with digital tickets, fans can call or text 419.530.4653.

TEAM TIDBITS
•  Toledo became just the SECOND program in MAC history to capture at least a share of FOUR straight MAC titles, matching Cincinnati with four from the 1947-48 - 1950-51 seasons. The only other schools to win at least a share of three straight MAC titles were the 1979-81 Toledo squads and Kent State (2002-04).
•  Toledo has registered FOUR straight 20-win seasons as well as SIX 20-win seasons in the last SEVEN years.
•  The Rockets are the only MAC school to win 13 or more league games in six of the last seven years.
•  Toledo's 94 victories since the start of the 2020-21 season are tied for 14^th nationally.
•  Toledo is 62-13 (.827) in league play since the start of the 2020-21 season. The Rockets are 34-4 (.895) in MAC home games and 28-9 (.767) in MAC road games.
•  Toledo finished the year with a 6-3 record in MAC road games after registering an 8-1 mark in league road games last season. UT was 8-2 in MAC road games in 2021-22 after posting a 6-3 mark in MAC contests away from home in 2020-21.

2024 MAC Men's Basketball Tournament Schedule
 
Thursday, March 14, 2024 -- Quarterfinals
Game 1:  No. 1 Toledo vs. No. 8 Kent State, 11 am ET (ESPN+)
Game 2: No. 4 Central Michigan vs. No. 5 Bowling Green* (ESPN+)
Game 3: No. 2 Akron vs. No. 7 Miami* (ESPN+)
Game 4: No. 3 Ohio vs. No. 6 Western Michigan* (ESPN+)

Friday, March 15, 2024 -- Semifinals
Game 5: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner, 5 pm ET (CBS Sports Network)
Game 6:  Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner, 7:30 pm ET (CBS Sports Network)
  
Saturday, March 16, 2024 -- MAC Championship
Game 7: Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner, 7:30 pm ET (ESPN2)

*Minimum 30 minutes between completion of prior game in the session

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