MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — The longest winning streak in Mid-American Conference regular-season history came to an end on Friday, as Toledo lost 65-62 to Central Michigan.
The 20-game streak — stretching more than 365 days — was remarkable for a multitude of reasons: the consistency required to win every night, the target on UT’s back, and the steadiness so far in 2023-24 after losing its top three scorers.
“I respect the heck out of Tod, and I respect the heck out of that program,” Central Michigan coach Tony Barbee said. “They, along with a couple other teams in this league, embody everything that we’re chasing.”
The effort needed to win 20 in a row was on full display in the final seven minutes. The Rockets trailed by eight following a 14-3 Central run that sparked the crowd into a frenzy. The margin was still seven in the final two minutes when Toledo clawed its way back through defense, finishing at the rim, and the free-throw line.
UT cut it to three with 0.7 seconds left, and then Central turned it over on a fullcourt inbound pass. Ra’Heim Moss missed an open 3 at the buzzer that would have ended the rock concert vibe and turned McGuirk Arena into a morgue.
“That is a championship team with a championship culture,” Barbee said. “Yeah, they lost a lot. But quickly all those newcomers understand what winning is about. And they have figured that out. When you have that kind of pedigree, you don’t go away and give up. They were going to make their run.”
Tyler Cochran knows. Before he was an energy giver for Toledo, he played two seasons at Northern Illinois and one at Ball State. He had a 3-2 record against the Rockets, but the wins didn’t come easy.
And the strain began during the preparation.
“Being on the other side of Toledo, it’s so hard to go over a scout and guard every single action that they have, especially on the road,” Cochran said. “The atmosphere every time I was at Savage was always a tough crowd. The fans are always into it.”
Talent is one problem when facing Toledo. As Cochran noted, UT often has a player of the year candidate. And the complementary pieces are almost always All-MAC selections. Combined with coach Tod Kowalczyk’s offensive acumen, defending Toledo is one of the most strenuous tests in the conference.
“We never really praised them on the defensive side, but one thing was for sure, we never wanted to get in a shootout with them,” Cochran said. “Trying to guard them for 20 to 25 seconds on the shot clock was a challenge. K is a smart guy. When you feel like you’re one step ahead of him, you’re really six steps back. He accounts for everything.”
Which makes Central’s performance on Friday all the more impressive, as the Chippewas limited UT to 34 percent shooting and 4 of 20 from 3-point range.
It was clear in the fans’ emotions and Barbee’s words how much it meant to beat Toledo, which is the hunted almost every time it leaves Savage Arena.
“Everybody despises Toledo,” Cochran said. “When K says it’s a championship game for everybody, it really is. Everybody wants to beat them.”
Winning on the road in any conference is difficult. To win 10 straight road games is a rarity, but that’s what Toledo did during its streak. Dating to the beginning of the 2020-21 season, the Rockets are 24-7 in road games.
Two of those wins came at Ohio and Kent State this month with a team that was predicted to finish fourth in the MAC, mostly because RayJ Dennis, Setric Millner, Jr., and JT Shumate — core players that factored into Toledo’s three straight MAC championships — were gone.
But another efficient offense was unveiled, and through six games, UT has fielded a vastly improved defense and exhibited a winning attitude that becomes contagious inside the locker room walls.
“When you have a program that’s established like Toledo has been with a great coach, you’re going to be able to continually build on the culture you have in place,” Buffalo coach George Halcovage said. “There’s an expectation of that. He figures out how to manage his team based on the personnel. It comes down to having guys who understand it and the new guys come in and the standard is there, and they assimilate to it.”
Dante Maddox, Jr., who transferred to Toledo from Cal State Fullerton before the 2022-23 season, explained UT’s culture as thriving on substance.
“That’s a staple that shows how consistent a team and a program we’ve been,” he said.
The streak is over now, dying a peaceful death on Friday night. And it gave one last fight in the closing minutes, with an industrious finish that represented the previous 20 games.
“I’m unbelievably proud,” Kowalczyk said. “It’s never been done before in conference history. Over the last three years, we’ve done a lot of things that have never been done before, institutionally or conference-wide. I just hope it’s recognized.”
First Published January 20, 2024, 4:34 a.m.
