Rocket Docket

GAMEDAY: UNC Wilmington

MEN'S BASKETBALL

North Carolina Wilmington at Toledo

Time: 7 p.m.

Records: UNCW is 0-4; UT is 4-1.

Radio: 1370 AM in Toledo.

Series: UNCW leads 2-1.

Notes:

• The Rockets have won four straight to match their win total in each of the last two seasons when they went 4-28 in 2009-10 and again last year.
• UT is coming off an 82-67 win over Illinois-Chicago on Saturday and is off to its best start since winning its first five games during the 2003-04 season.
• UNC Wilmington is still winless, although it has played a rigorous early schedule. The Seahawks opened their season with road losses at Maryland (71-62) and Dayton (74-49), then suffered home losses to Marshall (69-64) and Davidson (70-67).
• UNC Wilmington is led by second-year coach Buzz Peterson, who was a finalist for the opening at Toledo before the 2008-09 season. One of his assistants is Jamie Kachmarik, a Rossford and Bowling Green State University graduate.

GAMEDAY: at Ball State

Toledo at Ball State

Time: 2 p.m.

Records: UT is 7-4, 6-1 MAC; Ball State is 6-5, 4-3.

TV: ESPN3.com

Radio: 1370 AM in Toledo, 1300 AM in Cleveland, 1310 AM in Detroit, 99.1 FM in Fremont, 96.7 FM in Fostoria, 96.1 FM in Archbold.

Series: UT leads 18-17-1.

Favorite: UT by 14

Notes:

• The scenario is pretty simple for Toledo in its regular season finale -- beat Ball State and hope Northern Illinois loses to Eastern Michigan. If both occur, then UT would be the outright MAC West champion and earn a spot in the conference championship game Dec. 2 at Ford Field in Detroit. If not, then Northern Illinois would represent the West against East champion Ohio in the MAC title game.
• The Rockets have won two straight since losing to Northern Illinois 63-60 at the Glass Bowl on Nov. 1. They knocked off Western Michigan in a 66-63 shootout on Nov. 8 and rolled past Central Michigan 44-17 on Nov. 18.
• Ball State is coming off a last-second 41-38 loss at Northern Illinois and has lost two of its last three games.
• UT is averaging 54.8 points in its last four contests, with the 44 points it scored against the Chippewas last week ranking as the lowest output during that stretch.
• Junior WR Eric Page needs two TD receptions to pass Lance Moore (25 TD catches, 2001-04) and become UT's all-time leader in that category. Page is already the Rockets' all-time leading receiver with 277 catches and 3,242 receiving yards.
• Toledo has won two straight over the Cardinals, with both victories coming by narrow margins. UT defeated Ball State 31-24 last year at the Glass Bowl and scored a last-minute touchdown for a 37-30 victory in 2009 at Scheumann Stadium.

End Zone: Thanksgiving edition

As you're sitting down for Thanksgiving dinner with family and friends Thursday, the UT football team will most likely be already on the way to Ball State for Friday's regular season finale for both schools. The Rockets drew the short straw in scheduling this year, and like their other counterparts in the MAC playing on the road Friday, that means traveling on turkey day.

That doesn't mean Eric Page and the other Rockets didn't get to celebrate Thanksgiving this year, though. Page still got to feast on stuffing — his turkey day favorite — and all the other fixins' Wednesday at his mom's house with family and a few of his teammates. Coach Tim Beckman conducted a morning practice Wednesday, then allowed his players to head home if they lived close by. He also encouraged the local players to take some teammates with them so that they could get a home-cooked meal on a day when nobody should be left behind and forced to have a cheeseburger alone in his dorm room.

The Rockets also celebrated Thanksgiving as a team Tuesday night, and even in this rollercoaster season, they still had plenty to be thankful for. They'll have even more if Northern Illinois slips up against Eastern Michigan on Friday, which would allow UT to sneak into the conference championship game.

"I'm thankful for being the head football coach of the Toledo Rockets, first and foremost," Beckman said. "I have great health and a great family and very, very thankful for all that." Cheers to that.

Bowl projections: 11-23

Well, it's that time of year again. Time to start the annual guessing game of where all the bowl eligibile teams are heading and who's staying home for the holidays.

So far in the MAC, six teams are bowl eligible -- Ball State, Northern Illinois, Ohio, Temple, Toledo and Western Michigan. Eastern Michigan and Kent State can also become bowl eligible with wins Friday, although both are underdogs on the road.

As it stands right now, I see four MAC teams going bowling, with the outside chance of five making it. Ohio is already assured a spot in the postseason by virtue of winning the East Division. Northern Illinois and Toledo will undoubtedly be going bowling, and I think Temple is the fourth most attractive of the group. Plus, as I wrote yesterday, it would be cruel and unusual punishment if the Owls finish with eight wins again this year and don't go bowling.

That leaves Ball State, Western Michigan, Kent State and Eastern Michigan fighting for that fifth and final spot, should one open up. Of that trio, I think the Broncos are the most attractive to bowl officials because of their high-powered offense. WMU has the nation's leading receiver in Jordan White and a darn fine up-and-comer in QB Alex Carder.

Ball State is facing a must-win Friday against Toledo if it wants any chance of going bowling. Right now, the Cardinals just don't have enough to offer to get themselves into the postseason.

Eastern Michigan is a nice story, but there's no guarantee they'll even get bowl eligible with a tough matchup at Northern Illinois. Plus, the Eagles can barely get anybody to come to their home games, let alone expect anyone to travel to a bowl.

Kent State is also no lock to get bowl eligible with a season finale at Temple, plus teams from the MAC that get their sixth win in the final week of the regular season don't usually merit much bowl consideration.

Here's how I see the bowl lineup for the MAC shaking out:

NEW MEXICO (Dec. 17): Western Michigan vs. Mountain West

FAMOUS IDAHO POTATO (Dec. 17): Toledo vs. WAC

LITTLE CAESARS PIZZA (Dec. 27): Northern Illinois vs. Big Ten

KRAFT FIGHT HUNGER (Dec. 31): Temple vs. Pac-12

GODADDY.COM (Jan. 8): Ohio vs. Sun Belt

GAMEDAY: Albany

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Albany at Toledo

Time: 7 p.m.

Records: Albany is 2-2; UT is 1-1.

Radio: 1230 AM

Series: First meeting

Notes:

• Toledo is riding a 19-game home winning streak, the third-longest unbeaten stretch in school history.
• Albany was picked to finish fifth in the America East Conference and returns four starters from a squad that went 16-14.
• The Rockets are coming off an 84-68 loss at Wisconsin-Green Bay after opening the year with a 61-51 home win over Dayton.
• The Great Danes, who are coming off a 65-53 loss at Brown, are led by junior F Julie Forster, who averages 16.8 points and 12.3 rebounds.

MAC power rankings -- Week 13

Well, we have reached the final week of the 2011 regular season. Seems like just yesterday we were discussing the Rockets' season-opening win against New Hampshire. And yet, this season is far from over with four, possibly five, MAC teams getting bowl bids, plus next week's MAC championship game.

1. NORTHERN ILLINOIS (8-3, 6-1) (LW #1): The scenario is pretty simple for the Huskies this week -- win and they're in. If Northern Illinois can get by Eastern Michigan on Friday, which is the likely outcome, it will be rewarded with a MAC West Division title and a date with Ohio in the conference championship game Dec. 2 at Ford Field in Detroit.

2. TOLEDO (7-4, 6-1) (LW #3): The scenario is a little more complicated for the Rockets this week, although still pretty simple -- win and hope for an NIU loss, and they're in. Toledo and NIU are tied atop the West standings, but the Huskies hold the tiebreaker by virtue of their 63-60 win over the Rockets on Nov. 1 at the Glass Bowl.

3. OHIO (8-3, 5-2) (LW #2): The Bobcats dropped a spot in the Rocket Docket power rankings this week, even after clinching the East Division title last week with a win at Bowling Green. Why's that? Well, for starters, Ohio's margin of victory over the Falcons was a mere one point, and the East Division is simply awful this season so it's not saying much when you're at the top of a very average heap of teams.

4. TEMPLE (7-4, 4-3) (LW #4): The Owls appear to be the most likely of the growing list of so-so bowl eligible MAC squads to actually go bowling. Ohio is guaranteed a spot in the postseason by virtue of winning the East, and Northern Illinois and Toledo are almost assuredly going bowling as long as they don't slip up this week. If Temple can get by Kent State on Friday, that would give the Owls eight wins and it would be considered cruel and unusual punishment if they get left bowl-less for the second year in a row with that many victories.

5. BALL STATE (6-5, 4-3) (LW #5): The Cardinals were a penalty flag away from upsetting Northern Illinois last week and having a chance to play for a division title against Toledo this week. A pick-six by Ball State late in the game at NIU was instead called back because of a roughing the passer penalty. Now, the Cardinals face a must-win against the Rockets to have any shot of getting into a bowl and prolonging their season.

6. WESTERN MICHIGAN (6-5, 4-3) (LW #7): The Broncos still have an outside shot of making it to a bowl game, but they'll probably need Ball State or Temple to lose this week for that to happen. Western Michigan faces an extremely winnable game against Akron on Friday, so it should have seven wins and a very explosive offense to sell to bowl officials. If the MAC gets five spots in the postseason, I have to believe that fifth team will be Western Michigan.

7. KENT STATE (5-6, 4-3) (LW #9): I don't see any possible scenarios that involve Kent State making it to a bowl game (short of Moses coming down from the mountain and proclaiming it so). Nonetheless, you still have to credit the Golden Flashes for a significant turnaround late in the season when all appeared lost.

8. EASTERN MICHIGAN (6-5, 4-3) (LW #6): No matter what happens Friday at Northern Illinois, it's been an incredible season for the Eagles. Hopefully somebody has already engraved Ron English's name onto the MAC coach of the year trophy, because his program made tremendous strides this year. To have your first six-win season since the '90s is definitely something to be proud of in Ypsilanti.

9. MIAMI (4-7, 3-4) (LW #8): It's been a very disappointing season in Oxford. A year after being the Cinderella of the MAC (and maybe even the nation), the RedHawks' carriage turned back into a pumpkin in 2011.

10. BOWLING GREEN (4-7, 2-5) (LW #10): Even with a young squad, this is the year that got away from the Falcons with two one-point losses at home. Look for a lot more from BG in 2012 with lots of talent coming back on both sides of the ball.

11. CENTRAL MICHIGAN (3-9, 2-6) (LW #11): Even after seeing the Chippewas in person last week, I still have no explanation for their victory over Northern Illinois earlier in the season. Central Michigan also has a lot of young players, but it looks like a program in disarray right now. Coach Dan Enos must find a way to re-raise the bar in 2012 in order to keep his job.

12. BUFFALO (3-8, 2-5) (LW #12): The Bulls picked up a blowout 51-10 win over lowly Akron last week and could potentially end the year with a two-game winning streak if they can get by BG on Friday. Buffalo has some decent pieces coming back next year, especially on defense, but the graduation of QB Chazz Anderson will definitely hurt offensively.

13. AKRON (1-10, 0-7) (LW #13): The only consistency found in all 13 weeks of the Rocket Docket power rankings this season has been scrolling all the way to the bottom and finding the Zips. Luckily, Akron also has one of the top men's soccer programs in the nation. Otherwise, autumn in A-town would be very long.

GAMEDAY: at Central Michigan

Toledo at Central Michigan

Time: 8 p.m.

Records: UT is 6-4, 5-1 MAC; CMU is 3-8, 2-5.

TV: ESPNU

Radio: 1370 AM in Toledo, 1300 AM in Cleveland, 1310 AM in Detroit, 99.1 FM in Fremont, 96.7 FM in Fostoria, 96.1 FM in Archbold.

Series: Tied 18-18-3

Favorite: UT by 14.5

Notes:

• Toledo has been part of two of the three highest-scoring games in conference history in the last two weeks. On Nov. 1, the Rockets lost 63-60 to Northern Illinois. Then on Nov. 8, the Rockets won 66-63 over Western Michigan.
• Central Michigan has lost two straight and five of its last six, including a 43-28 home loss to Ohio on Nov. 10.
• UT won 42-31 at the Glass Bowl last season to snap a five-game losing streak to the Chippewas. Junior WR Eric Page returned two kickoffs for touchdowns in that contest and went on to be named a Walter Camp All-American kick returner at the end of the year.
• CMU junior QB Ryan Radcliff has thrown for 23 touchdown passes and more than 3,000 passing yards this season. The Fairview product's favorite target is junior WR Cody Wilson, who has 47 receptions for 522 yards but has missed time recently with a lower body injury. Freshman WR Titus Davis leads the Chippewas with 687 receiving yards and six touchdown catches.
• UT senior S/LB Charles "Bobo" Rancifer has been reinstated following a two-game suspension for an unspecified violation of a "team policy," but how much he plays against CMU remains to be seen. Junior backup DT Danny Farr (shoulder) is listed as "questionable," while junior QB Austin Dantin (concussion) is expected to play.

End Zone: 11-17-11

Imagine yourself as a 19-year-old college football player. Tuesday night, you’re on the field for the highest scoring contest in conference history, and even better, your team wins its final home game of the year.

As you and your teammates run over to the south end of the stadium to strike up the band and celebrate the victory that makes you bowl eligible, the clock strikes 12:20 a.m. By the time you leave the locker room, it’s already 1:15 a.m.

And then reality sets in. You and 19 of your teammates have an 8 a.m. class in less than seven hours. To make matters worse, you have an important exam to take. All that studying you did earlier in the day and Monday night at the team hotel seems ages ago.

At 7:15 a.m., the alarm goes off. You’re still dead tired and very sore, so you decide to hit the snooze button a couple times. Finally, you roll out of bed, just in time to throw on a fresh T-shirt and sweatpants, dash off to University Hall and find your coach waiting for you as you walk into your lecture hall.

You made it, but you were five minutes late. So now you’re faced with a disciplinary meeting with the strength coach Thursday.

Man, you wonder: Everybody seems to love these weeknight conference games. Recruits and fans across the country get to watch you on national TV. Your school and conference get nice chunks of cash and exposure.

But you’re the one paying the price.

A closer look at: UT men's basketball

The Blade's UT men's basketball season preview will run in tomorrow's paper, and I was at practice earlier today to observe the team's progress and then talk with coach Tod Kowalczyk and a couple of his players about the upcoming season.

The Rockets open the 2011-12 season Friday against Texas State in the Texas-Pan American tournament in Edinburg, Texas, and I can say for certain they've already come a long way since preseason practices started earlier this fall.

UT's seven-man rotation of junior G Dominique Buckley, sophomore G Rian Pearson, sophomore F Matt Smith, sophomore G Reese Holliday, sophomore C DeLino Dear, freshman PG Juice Brown and freshman G Ryan Majerle have already developed a nice chemistry. Junior G Curtis Dennis will join the rotation in mid-December once he becomes eligible to play after sitting out his mandatory one year following his transfer from New Mexico last January.

Obviously with such few players, though, staying healthy will be a huge priority for the Rockets. If that happens, they'll win a lot more games than last year. How many is hard to say, but the words "competing for a championship" have been thrown around quite a bit in preseason practices. That may be a little ambitious, but for a program that's starving for success, it's hard to blame them.

Here's a few snippets from my interviews today with Kowalczyk, Pearson and Smith:

KOWALCZYK: "We like this team. We think this is a team that has a chance and an opportunity to be very good."

PEARSON: "I'm ready to get going. We've been getting focused all week and we're ready to start our first game. I'm looking forward to it."

KOWALCZYK: "I like playing in these preseason tournaments and having a chance with a young team and a team that is relatively all new guys to be able to get away for four games and be gone basically one full week. I think it's great. We get away from parents and girlfriends and distractions. It's just us. It's just our basketball tight circle. I think that's a good thing for a young team to bond and grow together and experience success and adversity together too."

PEARSON: "We had a [intrasquad] scrimmage this past Saturday, and coack K got the rotations going. We'll get a two-minute breather or something like that and then go right back in. I like that, just getting a quick blow and then getting right back into the game."

KOWALCZYK: "I don't think we have one guy that night-to-night is going to lead us in scoring. I think with this team -- and I truly believe this -- we've got seven guys that could on any given night score 20 points. Majerle had 19 [in the exhibition game], so he could do it. RP obviously can do it. Juice already has done it. I think Dominique Buckley can do it. Reese Holliday did it last year. And then Curtis and Matt without question can do it. So, we've got a lot of guys that can score. Good teams share the ball and they share scoring opportunities. I think this team is very unselfish. They do a great job of making one more pass, and they generally like making that extra pass."

SMITH: "It's different playing in an exhibition than it is in the regular season. The intensity just goes to the next level. And then it does the same thing once we get to MAC play and then postseason. So, I'm more than excited. I can't even explain it."

KOWALCZYK: "I think our team defense and our halfcourt defense is good. Our transition defense was not good the other night [in the exhibition game]. I give credit to Northwestern Ohio because they did a great job of getting the ball inbounds. But when we get our defense set, our halfcourt defense is good. But we've got to get set and we've got to rebound the ball better than what we have been doing."

SMITH: "Each day I think we're getting more feel for the game, we're trusting each other more, we're playing more together than we have been lately, so I'm feeling really confident in us."

KOWALCZYK: "A step forward for us is to try to compete for a championship. We're by no means a finished product. We have a long way to go, but I like this team. I think it's a talented team. If we stay healthy, we're going to have a chance to be a team that I would like to think at the end of the season is as good as anybody in our league."

MAC power rankings -- Week 12

With another big game in the MAC West Division tonight, we'll almost assuredly see another shakeup in the Rocket Docket MAC power rankings next week. For now, here's a whiparound the conference's best, from top to bottom.

1. NORTHERN ILLINOIS (7-3, 5-1) (LW #1): The Huskies can further solidify their spot atop the MAC tonight with a home victory over Ball State. A win would also leave NIU with just one step to go to repeating as West champs.

2. OHIO (7-3, 4-2) (LW #2): If there was such an award, Tyler Tettleton would be the conference's top candidate for newcomer of the year. He's completed 63 percent of his passes this season, thrown for an average of almost 250 yards per game, tossed 22 TDs to just 6 INTs and run for an additional 7 TDs. The Bobcats can definitely trace much of their success back to Tettleton.

3. TOLEDO (6-4, 5-1) (LW #3): The Rockets rebounded -- albeit by the skin of their teeth -- with a 66-63 win over Western Michigan and seem to be in prime position to make it to one of the MAC's three bowl games as long as they win out. UT is also ready and waiting should the Huskies stumble, and will definitely be rooting hard for Ball State tonight.

4. TEMPLE (6-4, 4-3) (LW #4): The Owls picked up a nice victory over Miami last week and also took another step toward ensuring they'll get a bowl bid this year, after getting snubbed last season despite finishing 8-4.

5. BALL STATE (6-4, 4-2) (LW #7): The Cardinals still control their own destiny in the West. If they win out in their final two games -- at NIU and vs. Toledo -- they'll go to the MAC championship game for the first time since 2008. Pretty impressive for a team that wasn't picked any where near the top of the division in the preseason.

6. EASTERN MICHIGAN (6-4, 4-2) (LW #8): The Eagles are bowl eligible. Yes, Eastern Michigan -- a team that didn't even win a game two years ago -- is bowl eligible. While they'll probably need some help to get into a bowl, just the fact that the Eagles can include themselves in the conversation ensures Ron English will be named MAC coach of the year.

7. WESTERN MICHIGAN (5-5, 3-3) (LW #5): This will be definitely one of those years where the Broncos look back and say, "what if?" What if they had not experienced a letdown early in the season against NIU, and another later in the year at Eastern Michigan? What if they would have been able to squeeze out one more touchdown, or even a field goal, and beaten Toledo? For such a talented team, it's hard to imagine WMU probably won't be going bowling.

8. MIAMI (4-6, 3-3) (LW #6): The bubble finally burst last week on a very disappointing season for Miami. The RedHawks' loss at Temple didn't completely eliminate them from the East Division race, but they'll have to pull off a stunner next week at Ohio to re-enter the picture. And that assumes they'll get by Western Michigan tomorrow, which is no small feat.

9. KENT STATE (4-6, 3-3) (LW #10): The fact that the Golden Flashes still haven't been eliminated from the East Division race just goes to show you how horrid that division has been this year. Kent State closes with a home game Saturday against Eastern Michigan and then travels to Temple on Nov. 25.

10. BOWLING GREEN (4-6, 2-4) (LW #9): Following a hot start to the season, the Falcons have really tailed off in their last six games. The BG coaching staff has pinned much of the downturn on a struggling offensive line, while injuries and youth are also to blame.

11. CENTRAL MICHIGAN (3-8, 2-5) (LW #11): Based on some quirky scheduling by the conference office, the Chippewas will close out a miserable season Friday night at home against Toledo. And as soon as the final seconds tick off the clock, there will certainly be questions about whether coach Dan Enos will return next season. Word out of Mount Pleasant is he's safe, however, I have to believe the move will at least be briefly considered.

12. BUFFALO (2-8, 1-5) (LW #12): Another MAC coach whose seat is getting hotter is Jeff Quinn. The Bulls showed some early promise but never really got any momentum going their way this season. Buffalo has a chance to double its win total in the final two weeks, though, with home games against Akron and Bowling Green.

13. AKRON (1-9, 0-6) (LW #13): Yep, Zips are still at the bottom. Did you expect anything else?