KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Road to Cleveland begins for Western Michigan men's basketball as the Broncos travel to West Division foe Toledo for its Mid-American Conference Championship First Round match-up on Monday, March 9.

Monday, March 9 • 7:00 p.m. • Toledo, Ohio • John F. Savage Arena (7,014)
No.10 Western Michigan Broncos (13-18, 6-11 MAC) at No.7 Toledo Rockets (16-15, 8-10 MAC)

Series Record: WMU trails 63-87
Last Meeting: Feb. 22, 2020 – Kalamazoo, Mich. – WMU 59, Toledo 68

BROADCAST INFORMATION:
Radio • Bronco Radio Network – Robin Hook (PBP)
Stations • WZOX – 96.5 FM: Kalamazoo (flagship), Portage, Mattawan; WMAX – 96.1 FM: Holland, Muskegon; WTKG 1230 AM: Grand Rapids
Watch Live: ESPN3 / ESPN Plus (Mason Lowry – PBP, Rhett Boyd – Color)

Scouting the Broncos
Western Michigan heads into the conference tournament as the No.10 seed with an overall record of 13-18 and 6-12 in MAC play. The Broncos have won two of their last three contests, but are coming off an 85-68 loss at Central Michigan on Friday.

MAC Tournament Record
Western Michigan is 23-32 all-time in the MAC Tournament with titles in 2004 and 2014. Under head coach Steve Hawkins, WMU is 17-11 in the MAC Tournament and seeks its first trip back to Cleveland since 2016.

First Round Success
WMU has won five of its last eight MAC Tournament First Round match-ups.

Broncos and Rockets in March
It's the seventh meeting between the Broncos and Rockets in the MAC Tournament and first time since WMU defeated Toledo 98-77 in the 2014 MAC Tournament Championship game. Against the Rockets in the conference tournament, the Broncos are 4-2.

Best Against the West
Under head coach Steve Hawkins, WMU is 9-3 in the MAC Tournament against West Division opponents.

Johnson Chasing 1,000
Redshirt junior Brandon Johnson needs just three points to become the 44^th member of WMU's 1,000-point club. Johnson ranks second on the team at 15.3 points per game.

Fortune 500 Flowers
Junior Michael Flowers leads the Broncos this season with 509 points. It's the sixth straight year WMU has had at least one player score over 500 points in a season.

On the Horizon
With a win on Monday, Western Michigan will head to Cleveland and take on No. 2 seed Bowling Green on Thursday, March 12 at 6:30 p.m. WMU fell to BGSU earlier this season at home, 85-82.

Scouting the Rockets
Toledo has won four of its last five games and has an overall record of 16-15 and 8-10 in conference play. The Rockets are coming off a 79-57 win at home over Eastern Michigan on Friday to clinch the No.7 seed.

The Rockets are led by guard Marreon Jackson, who ranks third in the MAC at 19.7 points per game. On the boards Willie Jackson leads Toledo, and the MAC, at 11.8 rebounds per contest.