Tonight is the 179th meeting in a Hope-Albion men's basketball rivalry that dates back to 1913.

Tipoff is 8 p.m. There is no junior varsity game beforehand.

The Flying Dutchmen lead the all-time series by a 125-53 margin, including wins of 68-64 and 97-73 last season. Hope has won four consecutive meetings with the Britons.

The Flying Dutchmen come into Albion on a season-high, five-game win streak. Hope is coming off a 71-63 win at preeseason MIAA favorite Calvin on Saturday and a 75-61 win over visiting Trine on Thursday.

The Flying Dutchmen top the MIAA with a 2-0 league record. They are 8-5 overall. Albion (7-6 overall) is one of six MIAA teams with 1-1 league records.

Hope made its first appearance in the NCAA Division III rankings from d3hoops.com this week. The Flying Dutchmen picked up eight votes to debut at 38th place.

Center Nate VanArendonk of Grand Haven, pictured, and guard Ben Gardner of Carmel, Ind., share the Flying Dutchmen-high with nine double-digit scoring performances this season. VanArendonk has reached double digits in three consecutive games, while Gardner has done it twice in a row and five of the past six games.

Here is a look at the where the top Hope and Albion player rank in the MIAA statistics.

SCORING OFFENSE

10. Ben Gardner, Hope — 13.3 points per game

11. Alex Eidson, Hope — 12.9

12. Jordan Herron, Albion — 12.8

REBOUNDING

1. Jordan Herron, Albion — 8.2

2. Carter Elliott, Albion — 7.1

6. Nate VanArendonk, Hope —6.4

ASSISTS

2. Ben Gardner, Hope —3.5

NR. Zach Hurth, Albion —2.0

Click here to see more MIAA statistics.

The Flying Dutchmen face an opponent that has limited foes to 41.8 percent from the field this season — tops in the MIAA. Hope ranks fourth in the MIAA shooting 46.0 percent from the floor. The Britons have to contend with VanArendonk, who shot  92.3 percent from the field last week (12-of-13) and leads the league with 69.4 percent field-goal shootings.

Albion and Hope are 1-2 in the MIAA in offensive rebounding. The Britons are first at 13.92 offensive rebounds per game and with 41.7 total rebounds per game. Hope is second at 11.38 offensive rebounds and third at 35.9 total rebounds.