TOLEDO, Ohio — Toledo and Bowling Green women's basketball is ready for their first matchup since meeting in the Mid-American Conference championship game in Cleveland last season.
Last year, Toledo and BGSU split the regular season meetings before the Rockets won the rubber match in the MAC title game to advance to the NCAA tournament.
This season bears a familiar feel on the UT side, but for Bowling Green, it's a much different feel.
The Rockets brought back every starter from last season, including their dynamic duo of Quinesha Lockett, the reigning conference player of the year, and Sophia Wiard who has played in the most games ever in a Rockets uniform in program history.
UT is attacking the game with a business-as-usual mindset, but know how much this game means.
"It's a rivalry, no doubt about it," said Wiard. "Throughout our whole career, it's kind of been a battle. We're just looking to take care of business and do what we need to do."
"This is the most fun game of the MAC season simply because it's such a great rivalry," said Toledo head coach Tricia Cullop. "This is just a fun game. Our kids look forward to it, the fanbases look forward to it, and it should absolutely be a fun environment."
For the Falcons, they welcome a few new faces into the historic rivalry.
After a Final Four run in the WNIT, head coach Robyn Fralick left for Michigan State. After a long stint as a college basketball assistant coach, Fred Chmiel was hired as the new face to lead the program. Now he gets set for his first matchup in the Battle of I-75.
While BGSU is dealing with injuries, it's still a matchup they're looking forward to.
"It's a rivalry game. I think our veterans are used to this environment. We're familiar with crowds like that," said Chmiel. "It's different because it's MAC play. It just means more. I know there's going to be some emotions, but I would like for us just to play good basketball."
"They're going to bring out a lot of fans and playing at Savage is a pretty hard place to play when it's a rivalry game," said Bowling Green guard Morgan Sharps. "There's extra motivation always. We're playing our rival up the street. We take pride in winning and especially over Toledo."
The game will be on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Savage Arena and can be watched on ESPN+.