It has been an up-and-down ride for the Toledo men's basketball team this season. The Rockets enjoyed a five-game winning streak during the non-conference season, but suffered through a five-game losing streak that included losing their first two Mid-American Conference games. Here is a look at how the team grades out up to this point in the season:
Guards
Led by Marreon Jackson, who is playing at an all-MAC level, the guards have been a strength for Toledo for most of the season. Jackson is second in the MAC in scoring at 18.2 points per game behind only Northern Illinois' Eugene German. Jackson is also second in the conference in assists at 6.1 per game.
Spencer Littleson has been solid all season, and you can always count on his effort and energy each game. He's shooting 39.3 percent from 3-point range on the season and averages 11.4 points per game. Keshaun Saunders averages 8.0 points per game in his 20.1 minutes per game off the bench and is the top 3-point shooter on the team at 42.9 percent.
Turnovers and lack of depth are holding the group back from being graded an A, as Jackson and Saunders have each struggled taking care of the ball at times this season. And the guards only go three-deep as part of the solidified 8-man rotation.
Grade: B+
Forwards
Willie Jackson has been a force to be reckoned with in the rebounding department all season. His 12.5 rebounds per game leads the MAC and is one of the top marks in the nation. He also has become more of a scoring threat at 12.1 points per game. The one downside to his game has been his tendency to be more turnover prone than normal for his position.
Dylan Alderson and T.J. Smith are the other forwards and haven't been much of a scoring threat collectively. Alderson has shown some flashes of scoring potential at 6.3 points per game as a starter, but hasn't really been all that aggressive offensively lately. Smith is used sparingly off the bench and doesn't look for his offense too much.
Depth again is a factor in this position group, as well.
Grade: B-
Center
Luke Knapke has developed into one of the most versatile big men in the country with 15.4 points and 8.0 rebounds per game to go with a 40.3 percent clip from the 3-point line. Knapke is very dangerous on the pick-and-pop with Marreon Jackson. It's hard to ask for more than what Knapke is giving Toledo so far this season.
Luke Maranka is the lone backup center and he has shown some potential at times. He's still a little undersized physically to bang bodies down low, but his future looks bright.
Grade: B
Coach
Tod Kowalczyk is in his 10th year as head coach at Toledo and the Rockets were picked to win the MAC West and be one of the favorites in the conference tournament. So far that has not been how Toledo has played with a 2-3 mark in the conference. The Rockets had a bad loss at Kansas City that started a five-game losing streak. They rebounded at home against Western Michigan before losing to Central Michigan at home. Staring at a difficult stretch, credit Kowalczyk for rallying the troops for a win at Akron, probably the best team in the conference at this point of the season. Kowalczyk has had to shorten his bench more than he probably wanted to this year and the starters are logging a lot of minutes out of necessity. Kowalczyk has proven himself in the regular season, but the next step is to win the MAC tournament and qualify for the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1980.
Grade: B
Overall
With high expectations, the season to this point has been a bit of a disappointment with a 10-8 overall record. The team has been prone to long scoring droughts that have been the difference in several losses. A near miss at Notre Dame hurt during the non-conference season. And the Rockets were a team that was on the ropes collectively, but the win at Akron was not only much-needed, but it provided some hope for how Toledo can finish out the conference season. There is still a lot of basketball left to be played and the MAC is as wide open as ever. KenPom.com still views Toledo as one of the top teams in the MAC as its metrics have the Rockets ranked No. 115, which is 4th in the MAC.
Grade: B-
First Published January 20, 2020, 9:56 p.m.
