Robert Hearons: It is anyone’s guess this season

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RJ Hearons

The University of Toledo men and women’s basketball teams have been here, there and everywhere in between this season.

From blow-out victories to head-scratching losses, it’s tough to grasp just where these two programs are heading as we make our way into the month of February and beyond. Good streaks followed by bad streaks, sub-par play followed by breathtaking effort — at this point, it’s really anyone’s guess as to where these teams finish.

But I’m going to take a stab at it anyway.

You would be hard-pressed to find anyone who saw the men’s basketball team dropping three out of their first five conference games. The sub-par record coming off a difficult non-conference schedule was to be expected; in fact, matchups versus the likes of Duke, VCU and Oregon should have rendered the Rockets battle-ready for conference play.

In reality, they have seemed battle-weary. The first half of conference play has simply been a struggle, and while fans would hope that the newly-minted winning streak is a sign of things to come, it’s difficult to have confidence yet in this sporadic group.

The winning streak will be put on the line Wednesday night when UT hosts Eastern Michigan, a team that enters Savage Arena boasting a 14-7 record.

The Eagles will no doubt be a challenge for Toledo’s defense. The Rockets have struggled on that side of the ball all season, but as of late they have begun to clean up their act. Junior center Nathan Boothe has been engaged on both ends of the floor the past few games, and when he is, Toledo becomes tough to score on down low.

On offense, the Rockets are as potent as ever. They still sometimes sink into scoring draughts, but teams always have to put up big numbers if they want to match UT stride for stride.

Ok, so we’ve covered the men’s team, but they are only half the equation on this campus. The women’s team has had its share of ups and downs this season as well.

The Rockets have left many only able to guess what may come next. A couple weeks in, they stood at 4-4 and left many wondering if another .500 season was in store for head coach Tricia Cullop and her players.

So Cullop made a big change to her lineup, deciding to utilize senior Inma Zanoguera as a point guard.

The change worked to perfection, with UT winning five straight games and opening up conference play with a pair of victories. Unpredictability, however, has once again reared its ugly head as of late, with Toledo 3-3 over their last six contests.

The Rockets are riding high after defeating Bowling Green on the road last weekend, but heading into Wednesday’s game at Buffalo, it’s anyone’s guess as to what you will see from this squad.

Looking ahead at either of UT’s basketball teams, however, you will have to do a lot of guesswork.

Last season, the men’s team earned a bye all the way to the semifinal game, winning that matchup but falling in the Championship round against Western Michigan.

The women’s team had to start from the bottom of the bracket and won one game before being booted from contention.

This year, neither squad has experienced large quantities of consistency, but both have shown the ability to persevere and emerge victorious. With the MAC Tournament just around the corner, Cullop and Kowalczyk have their work cut out for them. But neither is wet behind the ears and both know what it takes to win.

I still believe both of Toledo’s teams will make waves in the MAC Tournament, but how far they will go is another question entirely.

My prediction? Don’t bet against either one.