Long Island has a new coaching staff, led by a former Alabama analyst, and a cadre of transfers.
The Sharks are a virtual unknown, but that hasn't prevented the oddsmakers from installing Toledo as a massive favorite.
The reasons are business LIU was a mess last season and the Rockets have the potential to be one of the best Group of Five teams in the country. Thursday's game isn't going to make or break 2022 — unless UT loses, which seems like an impossibility — but it's the first step toward the Rockets' Mid-American Conference championship or bust campaign.