Game 20, 2025-26: Toledo (1/20)

[MikeUMA]

Time to move on. Toledo visits the Mullins Center tomorrow. Another early start: 6 PM tip. ESPN+ has it.

MAC member since: 1950, just a few years after league inception

MAC titles, regular season (outright or divisional): 19 , last 2024 (4th straight)
MAC tournament (began in 1980) titles: 1 (1980). For all the regular season success, it's weird how the tournament seems to be a bugaboo for them.

NCAA Tournament (D-I) appearances: 4, 1-4 record
Last bid: 1980 (lost in First Round)
Farthest run: Sweet Sixteen in 1979

Current coach: Tod Kowalczyk (16th season). He's the longest tenured MAC coach, by one season over Kent State's Rob Senderoff.
Not to be confused with Ed Kowalczyk, lead singer of '90s band Live
Tod is well over 100 games over .500 in his college coaching tenure but hasn't cracked into the NCAA Tournament yet. Also 0-5 in the NIT, and just 2-4 combined in the also-ran tournaments (CBI, CIT).
Was Green Bay's coach in the 2000s.

Kowalczyk vs UMass: 1-1, both while at Green Bay.
Kowalczyk vs Frank Martin: no prior meetings.

Toledo's last 4 seasons:
2021-22: 26-8 / 17-3 (first), bounced in the tourney semis
2022-23: 27-8 / 16-2 (first), lost to Kent St in final
2023-24: 20-12 / 14-4 (first), bounced in quarters
2024-25: 18-15 / 10-8 (fourth), lost to eventual champ Akron in semis

This will be the 5th meeting all-time with Toledo, each one with a different coach on both sides. There was a big gap in each prior meeting, except for a home-and-home we did in 2007 and 2008. Travis Ford and Stan Joplin were the '07 coaches. Ford upgraded to OK State months later, Joplin was out of a job after a sub-par season for Toledo. Derek Kellogg and Gene Cross took over the two teams in 2008.

Toledo this season...
Was picked 6th, just behind us, in the pre-season poll.
They're currently in 4th, at 4-2, and 10-8 overall.
League wins: WMU, at CMU, at NIU (we failed to do), Ohio. Losses: Miami, at Kent State.

They have 5 double-figure scorers on the roster:

• Sonny Wilson (6'1 175 Jr G), 17.4 pts (5th in MAC), 3.6 rebs, 4.4 assists (7th in MAC). Toledo loyalist, was All-MAC Freshman and 3rd Team last season. Shooting .386 from deep this season, but only takes about 3 per game.
• Leroy Blyden (6'1 175 Fr G), 15.6 pts (10th in MAC), 3.3 rebs, 4.1 a (10th in MAC). Leads the Rockets from 3 at .418, and puts up 5.4 per game.
• Sean Craig (6'7 220 Sr F), 12.9 pts, 8.1 rebs (3rd in MAC), 1.7 a. Played D2 for his first two, then at IU-Indy in the Horizon league last season where he was a constant starter on a struggling team who's coach is now the defendant in a lawsuit regarding abuse of his players.
• Austin Parks (6'10 250 Jr C), 11.2 pts, 5.6 rebs, 1.7 a. Played sparingly at Ohio State in his first two.
• Kyler Vanderjagt (6'4 205 Sr G), 11.2 pts, 2.5 reb, 1.5 a. Was at Belmont in The Valley for his first two, played for Tony Barbee at CMU last season, transferred after Barbee was let go.

The Rockets have been pretty consistent in their starting 5. Wilson, Parks, and Vanderjagt have been constants. Blyden and Craig have started all but the first two.

Toledo puts up 82.8 ppg, 5th in the MAC. That was aided a bit by their two non-D-I games (in which they hit triple digits). (We're at 80.1.)
Defensively, they're 10th in the MAC, giving up 78.3 per game, and their .479 FG% allowed is worst in the MAC. (We're at 74.2.)
As a team, Toledo is mid at .344 from 3. We're slightly better at .347.
We're still solid at defending the 3 (best in the MAC and 11th nationally) at .286, Toledo is next-to-last at .348.
FTs is a big gap. Toledo is 2nd-best in the MAC at .774, and we're still struggling at .674 (2nd worst).
On the glass, we average 3.0 more than they do.

Early line shows us as a 1.5 point favorite. Would be good to get this one before we go back on the road for another two.

[InnervisionsUMASS]

Anyone know why Clerc has been relegated to the end of the bench?

[MakeMullinsGreatAgain]

Anyone know why Clerc has been relegated to the end of the bench?

better question since its been 3 games now - why hasn't one of the reporters who cover UMass ask? I think I know the answer to that - they are afraid Frank will snap their asses. I know a couple of them are students and are probably intimidated by him but guys like Howard Herman or even Jay Burnham should have the balls to ask him - isn't that their job after all? He probably wouldn't even give a truthful answer - but the question has to be asked.

[inthescoop]

Anyone know why Clerc has been relegated to the end of the bench?

better question since its been 3 games now - why hasn't one of the reporters who cover UMass ask? I think I know the answer to that - they are afraid Frank will snap their asses. I know a couple of them are students and are probably intimidated by him but guys like Howard Herman or even Jay Burnham should have the balls to ask him - isn't that their job after all? He probably wouldn't even give a truthful answer - but the question has to be asked.

Yep, the fact that the question has not been asked yet says a lot. Either, none of them do their homework, which I don't think is true, or they all don't want to step on Frank's toes and stay on his good side.

[Juice Stand]

I wouldn't expect Jay to ask him that question. he's the "Voice of the Minutemen", a UMass employee, not an independent reporter. I would hope to hear that from Howard Herman, or maybe the new guy at the Gazette. Maybe one of the kids at the Collegian will ask, but I'm pretty sure they're afraid of him.

Clerc seemed to be just starting to get comfortable and I remember at least a couple games where he really played well (Florida St and Eastern Michigan in particular). It's wild that he hasn't seen the floor since Jan 6th, other than 1 minute against Ball St. It doesn't make any sense unless there's an undisclosed injury.

[Uminuteman]

Grades?

[amyz25]

At the beginning of the year when Donovan Brown played and then didn’t I asked one of the reporters if they’re allowed to ask anything they want and they said yes. I said can you ask why he’s not playing DB? They said absolutely not. I will not ask about players like that. So I’d say they are afraid to .

[inthescoop]

At the beginning of the year when Donovan Brown played and then didn’t I asked one of the reporters if they’re allowed to ask anything they want and they said yes. I said can you ask why he’s not playing DB? They said absolutely not. I will not ask about players like that. So I’d say they are afraid to .

Yes…no. Classic

[MakeMullinsGreatAgain]

At the beginning of the year when Donovan Brown played and then didn’t I asked one of the reporters if they’re allowed to ask anything they want and they said yes. I said can you ask why he’s not playing DB? They said absolutely not. I will not ask about players like that. So I’d say they are afraid to .

you don't have to name names but if Howard Herman said he refused to ask - he should be fired immediately! If it was a kid writing for the Daily Collegiate then I'll give them a little break. Any reporter working for a newspaper or online outlet (Masslive) and refuse to ask a tough question - and honestly - is asking why a player hasn't played for three games really a tough question, probably shouldn't be a journalist.

[minutefanjsf]

Grades?

He has played in January. Grades came out before Christmas.

[inthescoop]

Any reason why it’s an early game?

[amyz25]

At the beginning of the year when Donovan Brown played and then didn’t I asked one of the reporters if they’re allowed to ask anything they want and they said yes. I said can you ask why he’s not playing DB? They said absolutely not. I will not ask about players like that. So I’d say they are afraid to .

you don't have to name names but if Howard Herman said he refused to ask - he should be fired immediately! If it was a kid writing for the Daily Collegiate then I'll give them a little break. Any reporter working for a newspaper or online outlet (Masslive) and refuse to ask a tough question - and honestly - is asking why a player hasn't played for three games really a tough question, probably shouldn't be a journalist.

I agree unless have they have been told not to ask? I can understand if the reasons are personal/grade related but if the player is dressed and warmed up it should be fair game to ask.

[Uminuteman]

Any reason why it’s an early game?

So we all have more time to drink the anguish away before we go to bed.

[Floyd]

Any reason why it’s an early game?

So we all have more time to drink the anguish away before we go to bed.

Good one. That made me laugh.

Their big guy is pretty quick & mobile. Gonna be a tough matchup for Leo but he's pretty active so far

[InnervisionsUMASS]

We get to see Luca airball layups rather than see Clerc play. Lovely.


EDIT: And just like that, Clerc is in the game!