Toledo to Open Season at Sun Belt Preseason Favorite Arkansas State on Monday

Monday, November 2

Jonesboro, Ark.

8:00 p.m.

University of Toledo

Arkansas State

Toledo opens its 2026-27 season at Sun Belt preseason favorite Arkansas State on Monday night.

Photo by: Daniel Miller/University of Toledo

10/31/2026 9:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Game Notes (PDF)

Rockets to play three road games in six days to begin 2026-27 campaign

TOLEDO, Ohio - The Toledo men's basketball team will open its 2026-27 campaign and compete in the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge for a fourth consecutive season when it visits preseason SBC favorite Arkansas State (20-12, 11-7 Sun Belt in 2025-26) on Monday, Nov. 2. The Rockets' meeting with the Red Wolves will mark the start of UT's 112th season of basketball. The contest will tip off at 7:00 p.m. CT with streaming on ESPN+.

Senior Austin Parks (10.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg) is the Rockets' lone returning starter from last year's squad that posted a 19-15 overall record and an 11-7 league ledger. Toledo also returns three key rotation members - juniors Jaylan Ouwinga (6.3 ppg) and Mynor Strong (5.2 ppg) as well as sophomore Will James Jr. (3.1 ppg) - from a year ago.

The Rockets have added veteran transfers Rich Barron (Jr.-R., F, 6-5, 225, Providence), Sean Jones (Sr.-R, G, 5-10, 185, Marquette) and Angel Montas Jr. (Sr.-R, G, 6-6, 225, UMass-Lowell).

UT finished in fourth place in the Mid-American Conference last year, marking the sixth consecutive season it has posted a top-four league finish. The Rockets previously won the league title in 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24.

Toledo was picked to finish second in the MAC in this year's preseason poll by the league's head coaches, with Miami predicted to win the league title. Jones and Parks were also honored by being named to the Preseason All-MAC Second Team squad.

Arkansas State has posted three straight 20-win seasons and led the Sun Belt with 83.0 ppg last year. Layne Taylor and Tameron Ferguson were each named to the Preseason All-Sun Belt Second Team.

GAME INFORMATION
Date: Monday, Nov. 2, 2026.
Tip-Off: 7:00 p.m. CT
Location: Jonesboro, Ark.
Arena: First National Bank (10,563).
Streaming: ESPN+. Graham Doty will provide play-by-play with Brian Boyer serving as analyst.
Radio: Rocket Radio Network. WSPD (1370 AM) in Toledo. Mark Beier will provide play-by-play for broadcast with Jay Lehman serving as analyst.

SERIES
Toledo leads 4-0. The Rockets are 2-0 at home and 2-0 on the road vs. the Red Wolves. Toledo posted wins in Savage Arena in 2002 (90-73) and 2014 (73-65) and in Jonesboro in 2003 (64-63) and 2013 (78-65).

A LOOK AT THE ROCKETS
• Toledo has won 12 Mid-American Conference titles in program history and became the second MAC program ever to capture four straight outright MAC titles from the 2020-21 - 2023-24 seasons.
• The Rockets have registered SIX 20-win seasons in the last NINE years as well as EIGHT 20-win campaigns in the last 13 seasons.
• The Rockets tied a school record with 27 victories in the 2022-23 campaign, matching the total by the 2013-14 squad.

POST TOUCHES
• Mynor Strong started the last 13 games last year, his first starting nods since UT's first two games of the season. He averaged 9.6 ppg with a 45.2 3FG% (19-of-42) since re-joining the starting lineup, including a career-high 18 points and four triples vs. Buffalo (Mar. 6).
• Seven Rockets will be donning a Midnight Blue and Gold uniform for the first time. Transfers Rich Barron (Jr.-R, F), Sean Jones (Sr.-R, G), and Angel Montas Jr. (Sr.-R, G) will be joined by four incoming freshmen — G Jaylohn Allen (Ypsilanti, Mich.), G Manny Johnson (Toledo, Ohio), G Marco Mattucci (New Albany, Ohio), and F Rashaun Porter (Chicago, Ill.).
• Toledo's roster in the 2025-26 season featured 10 newcomers with five transfers and five freshmen.

PROTECTING THE BASKETBALL
• Toledo topped the MAC for a second-straight year with 10.2 turnovers per game last season after averaging 9.5 miscues per game in the 2024-25 season.
• The Rockets committed 10 or fewer turnovers in 15 of 34 contests, including a season-low four at Michigan State (Dec. 16).

ROCKETS RANKING AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS IN LEAGUE WINS
• Toledo's 83 conference wins since the start of the 2020-21 season rank TENTH in the nation, with Houston and Duke ranking first and second with 94 and 90 victories, respectively.
• UT has a .748 MAC winning percentage since the start of the 2020-21 season.
• UT won the MAC with a 15-4 record in 2020-21, a 17-3 mark in 2021-22, a 16-2 ledger in 2022-23 and a 14-4 mark in 2023-24. UT tied for fourth place at 10-8 in 2024-25 and finished alone in fourth place at 11-7 last season.

ON THE HORIZON
Toledo will remain on the road for the remainder of the week with games at No. 8 Michigan State on Thursday, Nov. 5 at 8:00 p.m. and Marshall on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 2:00 p.m. The Rockets will host Wright State in their home opener on Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 7:00 p.m..