http://www.bcsn.tv/news_article/show/514359
The University of Toledo men's basketball team has set 11 of its 13 non-conference games for the 2015-16 season.
The bulk of the Rockets' non-league schedule comes from the Horizon League. The Rockets have scheduled half of the Horizon League's teams: Toledo makes trips to the University of Detroit and Youngstown State, and will welcome Oakland, Cleveland State, and soon-to-be Horizon member Northern Kentucky to Savage Arena.
UT also is confirmed for its first-ever Great Alaska Shootout. As part of the eight-team tournament, the Rockets will play at Loyola (Chicago), then three games in Alaska.
In addition to Alaska-Anchorage, the tournament's host school, five schools round out the field: Drexel, Middle Tennessee, San Jose State, San Diego, and UNC-Asheville.
The Rockets also will play home games against two teams from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, Bethune-Cookman and North Carolina A&T. Both games are one-year contracts and do not require the Rockets to make return trips, Toledo coach Tod Kowalczyk said.
As of now, the Rockets do not have a scheduled opponent from a power-five conference, one season after they played a number of high-profile games. The Rockets played one-time road games at Oregon, Virginia Commonwealth, and eventual national champion Duke.
The Rockets played a total of five opponents who made the 2015 NCAA tournament.
UT still is searching for two opponents to complete their ’15-’16 schedule, which is proving tough for the program.
Kowalczyk said he prefers to sign contracts that involve an opponent making at least one trip to Toledo. So far, he has not had many takers.
“I've been asking for a one-for-one, but that's been difficult,” Kowalczyk said. “We've asked a lot of teams. I'll even do a two-for-one with certain teams, but they just won't do [a game at Toledo].”
The Rockets won 47 games during the past two seasons, which includes a 25-5 record at Savage Arena.
UT frequently has played Horizon League teams during the tenure of Kowalczyk, who used to coach at Horizon school UW-Green Bay. The Rockets will have at least four rematch games in the non-conference portion of the schedule as a result. UT lost to Detroit and Oakland last season, but beat Northern Kentucky and Cleveland State.
UT typically announces the complete schedule in late August or early September.