CLEVELAND — The University of Toledo men’s basketball team continued its annual tradition.
Not another Mid-American Conference championship.
Saving their worst for last.
The Rockets authored another chapter of heartbreak in their book of March nightmares, a volume that’s grown thicker than Gone With the Wind.
For the fourth consecutive season, UT won the MAC regular-season title but will leave the conference tournament empty-handed. And this year’s exit was worst of all, a 67-59 loss to eighth-seeded Kent State, the first time a one-seed has lost in the quarterfinals of the MAC tournament since 2010.
“A major disappointment,” Toledo coach Tod Kowalczyk said.
Toledo’s 59 points were its fewest in 67 games, dating to a 74-55 loss to Dayton in the 2022 NIT. The Rockets shot less than 40 percent and were a dreadful 10 of 21 from the free throw line, reminiscent of their 10-of-22 performance in a MAC semifinal loss to Akron two years ago.
UT was a 75 percent free throw shooting team this season, ranking in the top 35 nationally.
“I don’t have a real answer for it,” junior guard Tyler Cochran said. “We prepared all the time for moments like this, and (the shots) just didn’t go in.”
Kent has been an impediment for Toledo in the past. The Golden Flashes are the only team with a winning record against Kowalczyk and beat Toledo in last season’s MAC title game. But UT swept the season series this year, winning 89-75 in Kent and 86-71 last Friday in Toledo.
After dominating both regular-season games, the Rockets only led for 6:02 during Thursday’s loss. Their last lead was 22-21 with 4:46 left in the first half. Kent’s win probability was never lower than 57 percent after halftime.
VonCameron Davis scored a career-high 26 points, the Flashes had 12 offensive rebounds, and Toledo native Cli’ron Hornbeak blocked three shots.
“When you’re the No. 1 seed, you have a target on your back,” Kent State coach Rob Senderoff said. “For us to beat them, we couldn’t let the game get into the 80s. We knew that if the score was in the 80s, we were not going to win. Our game plan was to try to shorten the game as much as possible, which I thought we did.”
Twice Toledo cut the deficit to five points in the second half. Once, Javan Simmons missed the front end of a one-and-one. Tyler Cochran missed two free throws the second time.
The Flashes led 60-55 with 33 seconds left when Hornbeak missed a free throw, but Kent came up with an offensive rebound. A Toledo turnover with 18 seconds left doused any aspirations of a miracle.
“The execution of our players was as good as it could be,” Senderoff said. “Holding this team to 59 points, the leading offensive team in the league. Just an unbelievable job by everybody who stepped on the court for us today.”
Ra’Heim Moss, a first-team All-MAC selection, was 1-of-8 shooting with four turnovers. Simmons, the MAC’s unanimous freshman of the year, was 2 of 7 from the field and missed both of his free throw attempts. All-MAC freshman Sonny Wilson was 1 of 5 from the free throw line. Cochran, a second-team All-MAC selection, was 1 of 4 and Sam Lewis was 0 for 2.
Second-team All-MAC guard Dante Maddox, Jr., had a team-high 19 points, nine rebounds, and three steals.
“I know what this team and this program is capable of. It soon will reveal itself,” said Moss, who’s been part of all four championships and all four heartbreaks. “I thought that year would be this year. But, unfortunately, things didn’t work out that way. We’ve got to move forward and work on us next year.”
The March heartache for the Rockets is reaching inconceivable heights, especially considering they’re 725-609 (54.3 percent) since 1980. During the tournament drought, Toledo has seven MAC titles, eight MAC West titles, and 12 20-win seasons, including the four winningest seasons in program history.
A majority of that success has occurred under Kowalczyk, who’s the winningest active coach without an NCAA tournament appearance and the second-winningest coach in college basketball history without a tournament appearance.
“At the end of the season, losses stick with me for quite some time,” Kowalczyk said. “But you’ve got to let it go.”
The offseason begins sooner than expected again for Kowalczyk and the Rockets.
First Published March 14, 2024, 8:08 p.m.
