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Toledo basketball update: Beginning to believe

This team just doesn’t get it.

You are not supposed to win if you are only 5 of 14 from the free throw line with all five coming in overtime. Toledo ended the regulation 0-4 from the line including a potential game winning with 36 seconds remaining.

You are not supposed to win, especially on the road, shooting 18% from behind the arc. That’s not 18% for one half, but the entire game. The Rockets were an ice cold 4-22 from three point range lowering their season average to a dismal 31.9% for the year.

But this team just finds ways to win.

Yesterday’s victory over Western Michigan almost clinches the number one seed for the Rockets heading into the conference tournament in Cleveland. Assuming they beat Ball State and a hot Central Michigan squad within the confines of Savage Hall, they will be the team with the bulls-eye on their back two weeks from now at Quicken Loans Arena.

Justin Ingram, Florentino Valencia, and Keonta Howell would have it no other way.

It’s amazing how a team that started out 4-8 on the season could end up in such a position. But it really shouldn’t be that surprising. The Rockets have won 19 of their past 21 regular season conference games (22/25 counting last year’s tournament) including 13 straight against the West Division.

The key to Toledo’s success has been its relentless and downright irritating defensive pressure. With the opposition averaging over 18 turnovers a game and the Rockets accounting for more than 9 steals per contest, teams are having an extremely difficult time getting into their offensive sets. Stealing a Dickie V quote, Toledo’s defenders are not reactors, they are anticipators. They anticipate where the ball will be thrown.

It’s the reason why they are one of the best in the country in creating turnovers.

In addition to their aggressive defense, Toledo has slowly been improving on the offensive end. Although the tendency to settle for a contested jump shot still haunts the Rockets, it is being preached by the top to take the ball to the basket.

"In the first half, we were trying to shoot our way over the zone," Keonta Howell said. "At halftime the coaches said, attack the zone, attack the zone."

And it worked.

Led by Jonathon Amos and Tino Valencia, the Rockets began to get open looks down low. Coach Stan Joplin pushed the concept of going to the basket and look for an opportunity to score.

"Usually a lot of the guys don't go [to the boards], they're on the perimeter just standing," Joplin said. "Their teammates got on them about going to the basket. That was a big difference. That can be an offensive weapon that we really have to take advantage of."

It’s all starting to come together.

Western Coach Steve Hawkins was frustrated more than once Sunday with the officiating. Saying that Toledo "fouls a lot and gets away with it," Hawkins added that: "If you don't get it called, then there's a good chance you're going to turn the ball over…”

I don’t buy that. For the most part, the officials let the players decide the game. Both teams were close in total fouls, and, besides, Joe Reitz got away with at least a few push-offs down low.

Sunday’s victory over the Broncos proved that the Rockets are one of the best in the conference. This team doesn’t win pretty. They rarely blow out teams. They rarely dominate games in both halves.

But they find ways to win. Great teams do just that.

Last year’s squad surprised a few teams in Cleveland en route to a spot in the championship game.

This year’s team won’t have that luxury.

But they are beginning to believe in themselves and in their coach. It has been far too long since Toledo has smelled a trip into the NCAA tournament.

No guarantees are necessary, but this Rocket fan is beginning to believe.

MAC basketball by VanDelay Sports