2025–26 Toledo Rockets men's basketball team

2025–26 Toledo Rockets men's basketball
ConferenceMid-American Conference
Record19–15 (11–7 MAC)
Head coach
Associate head coachJeff Massey (12th season)
Justin Ingram (8th season)
Assistant coaches
Home arenaSavage Arena
2025–26 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Miami (OH) 18 – 0   1.000 32 – 2   .941
Akron † 17 – 1   .944 29 – 6   .829
Kent State 14 – 4   .778 24 – 10   .706
Toledo 11 – 7   .611 19 – 15   .559
Bowling Green 9 – 9   .500 18 – 14   .563
Ohio 9 – 9   .500 15 – 17   .469
Buffalo 7 – 11   .389 17 – 15   .531
UMass 7 – 11   .389 17 – 16   .515
Ball State 7 – 11   .389 12 – 19   .387
Central Michigan 6 – 12   .333 10 – 21   .323
Western Michigan 4 – 14   .222 10 – 21   .323
Northern Illinois 4 – 14   .222 9 – 21   .300
Eastern Michigan 4 – 14   .222 10 – 21   .323
† 2026 MAC tournament winner

The 2025–26 Toledo Rockets men's basketball team represented the University of Toledo during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Rockets, led by 16th-year head coach Tod Kowalczyk, played their home games at Savage Arena in Toledo, Ohio, as members of the Mid-American Conference.

They finished the 2025–26 season 19–15, 11–7 in MAC play, to finish in 4th place.[1] They qualified for the MAC tournament as the 4th seed where they defeated Bowling Green and UMass before losing to Akron in the finals.[2][3]

Previous season

The Rockets finished the 2024–25 season 18–15, 10–8 in MAC play, to finish in a tie for fourth place.[4] They defeated Ohio,[5] before falling to top-seeded and eventual tournament champions Akron in the semifinals of the MAC tournament.[6]

Offseason

Departures

Departures
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Javan Simmons 1 F 6'7" 235 Sophomore Gahanna, Ohio Transferred to Ohio
Bryce Ford 2 G 6'3" 190 Sophomore Scottsdale, Arizona Transferred to Arizona State
Xavier Thomas 4 F 6'5" 240 Sophomore Detroit, Michigan Transferred to Saginaw Valley State
Jaylen Murphy 6 G 6'3" 175 Freshman Holland, Ohio Transferred to Bryant & Stratton
Isaiah Adams 7 G 6'7" 225 Fifth Year Jacksonville, Florida Graduated
Ka'leel Stillman 10 C 6'10" 220 Freshman Orlando, Florida Entered the transfer portal
Sam Lewis 11 G 6'6" 210 Sophomore Chicago, Illinois Transferred to Virginia
Seth Hubbard 12 G 6'4" 195 Junior Jonesboro, Georgia Transferred to Milwaukee
André Lorentsson 13 F 6'9" 225 Senior Gothenburg, Sweden Graduated
Colin O'Rourke 20 F 6'8" 225 Graduate Student Plainfield, Illinois Graduated
Grgur Brcic 24 F 6'10" 235 Sophomore Zagreb, Croatia Transferred to Bucknell

Incoming transfers

Incoming transfers
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous school
Kyler Vanderjagt 4 G 6'4" 220 Senior Grand Rapids, Michigan Central Michigan
Mynor Strong 5 G 6'3" 175 Junior Omaha, Nebraska Dodge City Community College
Sean Craig 7 F 6'7" 220 Senior Sylvania, Ohio IU Indy
Chris Riddle 10 F 6'5" 210 Sophomore Chicago, Illinois DePaul
Austin Parks 25 C 6'10" 250 Junior St. Marys, Ohio Ohio State

2025 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Toby Nwokolo
PF 		Reynoldsburg, Ohio Reynoldsburg High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jun 26, 2024 
Recruit ratings: 247Sports:    (NR)
Leroy Blyden Jr.
PG 		Detroit, Michigan University of Detroit Jesuit High School 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Nov 13, 2024 
Recruit ratings: 247Sports:    (NR)
Will James
CG 		Holly Springs, North Carolina Holly Springs High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Aug 31, 2024 
Recruit ratings: 247Sports:    (NR)
London Praytor
PF 		Colorado Springs, Colorado Liberty High School 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (100 kg) Sep 30, 2024 
Recruit ratings: ESPN:    (NR)
Phoenix Glassnor
PG 		Warren, Michigan De La Salle Collegiate High School 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jun 24, 2024 
Recruit ratings: ESPN:    (NR)
Overall recruit ranking:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, 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:

  • "2025 Team Ranking". Rivals.

Preseason

On October 21, 2025, the MAC released their preseason poll. Toledo was picked to finish sixth in the conference.[7]

Preseason rankings

MAC Preseason Poll
Place Team Votes
1 Akron 143 (11)
2 Miami (OH) 133 (2)
3 Kent State 122
4 Ohio 108
5 UMass 98
6 Toledo 95
7 Bowling Green 73
8 Ball State 62
9 Eastern Michigan 52
10 Western Michigan 46
11 Buffalo 37
12 Central Michigan 31
13 Northern Illinois 14
(#) first-place votes

Source:[7]

Preseason All-MAC Teams

Preseason All-MAC Teams
Team Player Year Position
Second Sonny Wilson Junior Guard

Source:[7]

Roster

2025–26 Toledo Rockets men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 0 Toby Nwokolo 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Reynoldsburg High School Columbus, Ohio
G 2 Leroy Blyden Jr. 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Detroit Jesuit High School Detroit, Michigan
G 3 Sonny Wilson 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jr Detroit Jesuit High School Pontiac, Michigan
G 4 Kyler Vanderjagt 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sr Central Michigan Grand Rapids, Michigan
G 5 Mynor Strong 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) So Dodge City Community College Omaha, Nebraska
F 7 Sean Craig 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sr IU Indy Sylvania, Ohio
F 10 Chris Riddle 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So DePaul Chicago, Illinois
G 11 Will James Jr. 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Holly Springs High School Holly Springs, North Carolina
F 21 London Praytor 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Liberty High School Colorado Springs, Colorado
G 22 Tyler Ode 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So Saginaw Heritage High School Saginaw, Michigan
G 23 Phoenix Glassnor 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Warren De La Salle High School Port Huron, Michigan
C 25 Austin Parks 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Jr Ohio State St. Marys, Ohio
F 32 Jaylan Ouwinga 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) So Grand Rapids Christian High School Grand Rapids, Michigan
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: December 18, 2025

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 19, 2025*
3:00 p.m. 		at Findlay W 123–103  –
  18 – Ouwinga   11 – Ouwinga    –    Croy Gymnasium 
Findlay, OH
Regular season
November 3, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		South Alabama
MAC-SBC Challenge 		L 74–76  0–1
  17 – Tied   9 – Craig   9 – Blyden Jr.  Savage Arena (3,626)
Toledo, OH
November 8, 2025*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Marshall L 73–85  0–2
  16 – Tied   7 – Craig   4 – Tied  Savage Arena (4,026)
Toledo, OH
November 11, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Wright State W 81–71  1–2
  21 – Craig   9 – Craig   4 – Tied  Nutter Center (3,182)
Fairborn, OH
November 15, 2025*
1:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Detroit Mercy W 90−83  2−2
  20 – Blyden Jr.   7 – Parks   7 – Blyden Jr.  Savage Arena (3,797)
Toledo, OH
November 19, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Youngstown State W 92−75  3−2
  18 – Tied   12 – Craig   5 – Tied  Savage Arena (3,741)
Toledo, OH
November 24, 2025*
11:00 a.m., FloCollege 		vs. Troy
Coconut Hoops Royal Palm Division semifinals 		W 75–68  4–2
  23 – Wilson   11 – Craig   4 – Blyden Jr.  Alico Arena (212)
Fort Myers, FL
November 26, 2025*
1:30 p.m., FloCollege 		vs. Belmont
Coconut Hoops Royal Palm Division championship 		L 72–87  4–3
  17 – Craig   5 – Parks   5 – Blyden Jr.  Alico Arena (289)
Fort Myers, FL
December 1, 2025*
6:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		Central State W 102–58  5–3
  27 – Parks   12 – Praytor   6 – Tied  Savage Arena (3,776)
Toledo, OH
December 6, 2025*
3:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Oakland L 97–98  5–4
  20 – Blyden Jr.   10 – Craig   7 – Wilson  OU Credit Union O'rena (2,023)
Auburn Hills, MI
December 13, 2025*
1:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Robert Morris L 70–75  5–5
  21 – Wilson   8 – Parks   2 – Blyden Jr.  UPMC Events Center (996)
Moon Township, PA
December 16, 2025*
6:30 p.m., Peacock 		at No. 9 Michigan State L 69−92  5−6
  29 – Wilson   9 – Parks   5 – Wilson  Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
December 20, 2025*
12:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Lourdes W 100–67  6–6
  20 – Blyden Jr.   11 – Craig   8 – Wilson  Savage Arena (3,963)
Toledo, OH
December 30, 2025
6:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		Western Michigan W 84–79  7–6
(1–0) 		 36 – Blyden Jr.   13 – Craig   6 – Wilson  Savage Arena (4,232)
Toledo, OH
January 3, 2026
3:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Central Michigan W 78–75  8–6
(2–0) 		 23 – Vanderjagt   11 – Parks   5 – Tied  McGuirk Arena (1,342)
Mount Pleasant, MI
January 6, 2026
8:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Northern Illinois W 75–61  9–6
(3–0) 		 18 – Vanderjagt   5 – Tied   5 – Tied  Convocation Center (864)
DeKalb, IL
January 9, 2026
6:00 p.m., CBSSN 		Miami (OH) L 73–87  9–7
(3–1) 		 20 – Wilson   13 – Craig   5 – Wilson  Savage Arena (5,143)
Toledo, OH
January 13, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Ohio W 101–85  10–7
(4–1) 		 25 – Wilson   10 – Craig   5 – Tied  Savage Arena (4,552)
Toledo, OH
January 16, 2026
6:30 p.m., CBSSN 		at Kent State L 84–87  10–8
(4–2) 		 19 – Blyden Jr.   6 – Tied   6 – Wilson  MAC Center (2,433)
Kent, OH
January 20, 2026
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at UMass L 82–84  10–9
(4–3) 		 22 – Blyden Jr.   5 – Tied   7 – Wilson  Mullins Center (2,507)
Amherst, MA
January 24, 2026
5:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Bowling Green W 73–72  11–9
(5–3) 		 19 – Blyden Jr.   7 – Craig   5 – Blyden Jr.  Savage Arena (6,850)
Toledo, OH
January 27, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Akron L 81–91  11–10
(5–4) 		 22 – Wilson   9 – Craig   8 – Wilson  James A. Rhodes Arena (2,100)
Akron, OH
January 31, 2026
12:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Ball State W 73–55  12–10
(6–4) 		 19 – Wilson   9 – Ouwinga   7 – Wilson  Savage Arena (4,076)
Toledo, OH
February 3, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Kent State L 72–75  12–11
(6–5) 		 17 – Parks   8 – Parks   5 – Wilson  Savage Arena (4,165)
Toledo, OH
February 7, 2026*
4:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at James Madison
MAC-SBC Challenge 		L 71–73  12–12
  24 – Blyden Jr.   5 – Craig   5 – Blyden Jr.  Atlantic Union Bank Center (3,417)
Harrisonburg, VA
February 11, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Western Michigan W 90–79  13–12
(7–5) 		 18 – Wilson   8 – Craig   4 – Parks  University Arena (1,522)
Kalamazoo, MI
February 14, 2026
5:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Bowling Green L 70–80  13–13
(7–6) 		 20 – Wilson   9 – Parks   5 – Blyden Jr.  Stroh Center (4,167)
Bowling Green, OH
February 21, 2026
5:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Eastern Michigan W 94–75  14–13
(8–6) 		 15 – Tied   6 – Tied   8 – Blyden Jr.  Savage Arena (5,429)
Toledo, OH
February 24, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Northern Illinois W 79–69  15–13
(9–6) 		 17 – Wilson   7 – Tied   7 – Wilson  Savage Arena (4,531)
Toledo, OH
February 28, 2026
4:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Ohio W 79–67  16–13
(10–6) 		 22 – Blyden Jr.   11 – Parks   3 – Blyden Jr.  Convocation Center (6,404)
Athens, OH
March 3, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at No. 19 Miami (OH) L 72–74  16–14
(10–7) 		 21 – Blyden Jr.   7 – Ouwinga   6 – Wilson  Millett Hall (10,640)
Oxford, OH
March 6, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Buffalo W 99–78  17–14
(11–7) 		 24 – Wilson   7 – Blyden Jr.   13 – Blyden Jr.  Savage Arena (4,539)
Toledo, OH
MAC tournament
March 12, 2026
1:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		(4) vs. (5) Bowling Green
Quarterfinals 		W 77–76  18–14
  23 – Blyden Jr.   7 – Wilson   3 – Tied  Rocket Arena (9,123)
Cleveland, OH
March 13, 2026
5:00 p.m., CBSSN 		(4) vs. (8) UMass
Semifinals 		W 77–67  19–14
  18 – Wilson   11 – Craig   7 – Blyden Jr.  Rocket Arena (10,936)
Cleveland, OH
March 14, 2026
8:00 p.m., ESPN2 		(4) vs. (2) Akron
Championship 		L 76–79  19–15
  21 – Blyden Jr.   7 – Parks   8 – Wilson  Rocket Arena (11,072)
Cleveland, OH
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern.

Sources:[8][9]

References

  1. ^ "2025-26 Men's Basketball Standings". ESPN. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
  2. ^ "Toledo 77, Bowling Green 76". ESPN. March 12, 2026. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
  3. ^ "Akron 79, Toledo 76". ESPN. Retrieved March 14, 2026.
  4. ^ "2024-25 Men's Basketball Standings". Mid-American Conference. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  5. ^ "Ohio Men's Basketball season ends with a dramatic overtime loss to Toledo". WOUB Public Media. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  6. ^ "Zips return to MAC Tournament title game". Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  7. ^ a b c "MAC Announces 2025-26 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll, All-MAC Teams". Mid-American Conference. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  8. ^ "2025-26 Men's Basketball Schedule". University of Toledo Athletics. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  9. ^ "Toledo Rockets 2025-26 Regular Season NCAAM Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
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