# 2024–25 Toledo Rockets men's basketball team

The 2024–25 Toledo Rockets men's basketball team represented the University of Toledo during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Rockets, led by 15th-year head coach Tod Kowalczyk, played their home games at Savage Arena in Toledo, Ohio, as members of the Mid-American Conference.

## Previous season

The Rockets finished the 2023–24 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 NIT and declined invitatons to participate in the CBI and the CIT, ending their season.

## Offseason
### Departures

Departures :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Ra'Heim Moss | 0 | G | 6'4" | 205 | Junior | Springfield, Ohio | Transferred to Oregon |
| Dante Maddox Jr. | 21 | G | 6'2" | 185 | RS Junior | Chicago Heights, Illinois | Transferred to Xavier |
| Tyler Cochran | 23 | G | 6'2" | 225 | Junior | Bolingbrook, Illinois | Transferred to Minnesota |
| Marko Maletic | 27 | G | 6'6" | 208 | Junior | London, Ontario | Transferred to Western Illinois |
| Ben Wight | 35 | F | 6'9" | 220 | Junior | Columbus, Ohio | Transferred to Stony Brook |

### Incoming transfers

Incoming transfers :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Isaiah Adams | 7 | G | 6'7" | 225 | Fifth year | Jacksonville, Florida | Buffalo |
| Seth Hubbard | 12 | G | 6'4" | 195 | Junior | Jonesboro, Georgia | Western Michigan |
| Colin O'Rourke | 20 | F | 6'8" | 225 | Graduate student | Plainfield, Illinois | Wisconsin–Parkside |

### Recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight |
| Jaylen Murphy G | Holland, Ohio | St. John's Jesuit High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Ka'leel Stillman C | Orlando, Florida | Montverde Academy | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Tyler Ode G | Saginaw, Michigan | Saginaw Heritage High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Jaylan Ouwinga F | Grand Rapids, Michigan | Grand Rapids Christian High School | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| 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: "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

## Preseason

On October 22, 2024 the MAC released the preseason coaches poll. Toledo was picked to finish fourth in the MAC regular season.

### Preseason rankings

MAC preseason poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Ohio | 121 (11) |
| 2 | Akron | 106 (1) |
| 3 | Kent State | 99 |
| 4 | Toledo | 95 |
| 5 | Bowling Green | 73 |
| 6 | Miami (OH) | 72 |
| 7 | Ball State | 67 |
| 8 | Central Michigan | 55 |
| 9 | Eastern Michigan | 36 |
| 10 | Western Michigan | 33 |
| 11 | Northern Illinois | 24 |
| 12 | Buffalo | 11 |
MAC Tournament Champions: Ohio (8), Kent State (3), Toledo (1)
Source

### Preseason All-MAC

Preseason All-MAC teams :
| Team | Player | Position | Year |
| First | Javan Simmons | Forward | Sophomore |
| Second | Isaiah Adams | Guard | Fifth year |
Source

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 19, 2024* 2:00 pm | | Grand Valley State | W 76–71 | – | 15 – Wilson | 6 – Tied | – - | Savage Arena Toledo, OH |
| October 25, 2024* 7:30 pm, BTN | | at Michigan | L 92–96 | – | 21 – Simmons | 5 – Simmons | 4 – Wilson | Crisler Center (9,915) Ann Arbor, MI |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 4, 2024* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Troy MAC-SBC Challenge | L 74–84 | 0–1 | 19 – Simmons | 8 – Simmons | 5 – Wilson | Trojan Arena (3,369) Troy, Alabama |
| November 9, 2024* 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Marshall | W 90–80 | 1–1 | 17 – Tied | 7 – Adams | 3 – Simmons | Cam Henderson Center (3,759) Huntington, WV |
| November 13, 2024* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Wright State | W 86–77 | 2–1 | 20 – Wilson | 8 – Wilson | 6 – Simmons | Savage Arena (4,037) Toledo, OH |
| November 16, 2024* 4:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Detroit Mercy | W 82–67 | 3–1 | 22 – Wilson | 8 – Lewis | 6 – Wilson | Calihan Hall (1,098) Detroit, MI |
| November 21, 2024* 5:30 pm, BallerTV | | vs. Stetson Boardwalk Battle quarterfinals | W 103–78 | 4–1 | 21 – Wilson | 5 – Simmons | 6 – Wilson | Ocean Center (752) Daytona Beach, FL |
| November 22, 2024* 5:30 pm, BallerTV | | vs. Jacksonville State Boardwalk Battle semifinals | W 82–80 | 5–1 | 16 – Lewis | 5 – Wilson | 6 – Adams | Ocean Center (920) Daytona Beach, FL |
| November 23, 2024* 5:30 pm, BallerTV | | vs. UC San Diego Boardwalk Battle championship | L 45–80 | 5–2 | 10 – Tied | 5 – Tied | 2 – Wilson | Ocean Center (0) Daytona Beach, FL |
| November 30, 2024* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Oakland | L 52–85 | 5–3 | 13 – Wilson | 8 – Simmons | 4 – Tied | Savage Arena (4,008) Toledo, OH |
| December 7, 2024* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Defiance | W 111–49 | 6–3 | 18 – Lewis | 9 – Brcic | 9 – Adams | Savage Arena (3,845) Toledo, OH |
| December 14, 2024* 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Youngstown State | L 87–93 | 6–4 | 21 – Lewis | 8 – Lewis | 4 – Wilson | Beeghly Center (2,416) Youngstown, OH |
| December 18, 2024* 8:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at No. 15 Houston | L 49–78 | 6–5 | 14 – Lewis | 6 – Brcic | 3 – Adams | Fertitta Center (7,035) Houston, TX |
| December 29, 2024* 6:00 pm, BTN | | at No. 21 Purdue | L 64–83 | 6–6 | 13 – Tied | 11 – Lewis | 3 – Adams | Mackey Arena (14,876) West Lafayette, IN |
| MAC regular season |||||||||
| January 4, 2025 12:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Western Michigan | W 76–70 | 7–6 (1–0) | 20 – Wilson | 10 – Lewis | 5 – Wilson | University Arena (1,819) Kalamazoo, MI |
| January 7, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Eastern Michigan | W 90–87 | 8–6 (2–0) | 20 – Lewis | 8 – Simmons | 6 – Adams | Savage Arena (4,246) Toledo, OH |
| January 10, 2025 8:00 pm, CBSSN | | Central Michigan | W 69–67 | 9–6 (3–0) | 17 – Simmons | 8 – Simmons | 5 – Tied | Savage Arena (3,974) Toledo, OH |
| January 14, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Akron | L 78–85 | 9–7 (3–1) | 17 – Adams | 10 – Wilson | 5 – Wilson | James A. Rhodes Arena (2,011) Akron, OH |
| January 18, 2025 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Ball State | W 93–75 | 10–7 (4–1) | 21 – Lewis | 12 – Simmons | 3 – Wilson | Worthen Arena (4,412) Muncie, IN |
| January 21, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Kent State | L 64–83 | 10–8 (4–2) | 19 – Tied | 7 – Simmons | 5 – Adams | Savage Arena (3,983) Toledo, OH |
| January 24, 2025 6:00 pm, CBSSN | | at Bowling Green | W 84–71 | 11–8 (5–2) | 18 – Tied | 9 – Simmons | 5 – Wilson | Stroh Center (4,072) Bowling Green, OH |
| January 28, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Ohio | W 86–83 | 12–8 (6–2) | 15 – Tied | 9 – Hubbard | 4 – Tied | Convocation Center (4,442) Athens, OH |
| February 1, 2025 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Northern Illinois | W 89–85 | 13–8 (7–2) | 23 – Lewis | 12 – Simmons | 7 – Adams | Savage Arena (5,057) Toledo, OH |
| February 4, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Buffalo | W 87–74 | 14–8 (8–2) | 19 – Lewis | 10 – Simmons | 6 – Simmons | Savage Arena (4,052) Toledo, OH |
| February 8, 2025* 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | | James Madison MAC-Sun Belt Challenge | W 72–69 | 15–8 | 22 – Lewis | 8 – Simmons | 3 – Wilson | Savage Arena (4,438) Toledo, OH |
| February 11, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Miami (OH) | L 80–92 | 15–9 (8–3) | 23 – Wilson | 7 – Simmons | 5 – Wilson | Millett Hall (2,661) Oxford, OH |
| February 15, 2025 3:30 pm, ESPN+ | | at Eastern Michigan | L 73–80 | 15–10 (8–4) | 13 – Adams | 6 – Ford | 3 – Tied | George Gervin GameAbove Center (2,813) Ypsilanti, MI |
| February 18, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Ball State | W 67–66 | 16–10 (9–4) | 18 – Adams | 9 – Simmons | 3 – Tied | Savage Arena (3,947) Toledo, OH |
| February 21, 2025 6:00 pm, CBSSN | | Bowling Green | L 68–69 | 16–11 (9–5) | 21 – Lewis | 11 – Ford | 7 – Adams | Savage Arena (6,837) Toledo, OH |
| February 25, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Kent State | L 65–105 | 16–12 (9–6) | 17 – Lewis | 7 – Simmons | 3 – Adams | MAC Center (2,104) Kent, OH |
| March 1, 2025 4:30 pm, ESPN+ | | at Buffalo | L 74–87 | 16–13 (9–7) | 21 – Simmons | 7 – Simmons | 5 – Adams | Alumni Arena (2,597) Amherst, NY |
| March 4, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Akron | L 87–96 | 16–14 (9–8) | 23 – Lewis | 6 – Simmons | 5 – Adams | Savage Arena (4,145) Toledo, OH |
| March 7, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Ohio | W 96–82 | 17–14 (10–8) | 22 – Simmons | 9 – Hubbard | 5 – Adams | Savage Arena (5,397) Toledo, OH |
| MAC tournament |||||||||
| March 13, 2025 1:30 pm, ESPN+ | (4) | vs. (5) Ohio Quarterfinals | W 90–85 $^{OT}$ | 18–14 | 26 – Adams | 13 – Wilson | 3 – Wilson | Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (8,737) Cleveland, OH |
| March 14, 2025 7:30 pm, CBSSN | (4) | vs. (1) Akron Semifinals | L 90–100 | 18–15 | 28 – S. Hubbard | 7 – J. Simmons | 3 – S. Wilson | Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse Cleveland, OH |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern. |||||||||
Sources: