# 2023–24 Toledo Rockets men's basketball team

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). 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. Toledo was not selected for the National Invitation Tournament and declined to participate in the College Basketball Invitational and the CollegeInsider.com tournament.

## Previous season

The Rockets finished 27–8 and won their third straight regular-season championship with a 16–2 record in MAC play. They defeated Miami and Ohio in the first two rounds of the MAC tournament before losing to Kent State in the final. 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.

## Offseason
### Departures

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:

### Incoming transfers

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:

### Recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight |
| Bryce Ford G | Scottsdale, AZ | Pinnacle | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ||||||
| Sonny Wilson G | Pontiac, MI | Detroit Jesuit | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN grade: 79 ||||||
| Xavier Thomas F | Detroit, MI | Brother Rice | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/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: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/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: 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: "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

## Schedule and results

| 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: