The sixth-ranked Hope College men's basketball team can clinch an outright Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship on Saturday with a win at Calvin in the 193rd edition of 'The Rivalry.'
Tipoff is 3 p.m. in Grand Rapids. The game is sold out.
The game will be televised on WGVU-TV 35 and 52, World Harvest Televison on DIRECTV Ch. 367 and Family Entertainment Television on DISH Network Ch. 82; AT&T U-verse Ch. 578. The game also will be streamed online at http://livestream.com/calvin-college/events/4553151.
The Flying Dutchmen enter today's game at Calvin with a 22-2 overall record and a 12-1 MIAA record that has given Hope a share of the league championship. Hope clinches the outright title with a win against Calvin or an Alma loss at Olivet.
The Flying Dutchmen are MIAA champions for the 38th time in team history. Hope has been outright league champions 31 times and shared the title six times.
Hope has clinched the top seed and will host next week's MIAA Tournament. There will be four men's and women's semifinals on Friday at DeVos Fieldhouse. The Flying Dutchmen will play in the 7:30 p.m. semifinals against either Trine, Adrian or Calvin. Alma and Albion will play at 3 p.m. Friday. Winners advance to Saturday's 8 p.m. title game.
Hope leads the all-time series against Calvin by a 99-93 margin. The Flying Dutchmen defeated Calvin 75-67 on January 27 at DeVos Fieldhouse. Ben Gardner recorded a team-high 23 points. Hope outscored the Knights 46-37 during the second half.
The Flying Dutchmen bring a season-high 10-game win streak to Calvin. The current one started with a 74-51 at home against Trine on January 16. Hope also won nine games in a row from December-January 9.
Ben Gardner tops the Flying Dutchmen seniors in scoring against Calvin with 106 points in 10 games for a 10.6 average. He has scored in double figures five times against the Knights, including a personal-best 23 in this season's meeting.
Harrison Blackledge is averaging 15.2 points against Calvin the past four times he's played against the Knights. He recorded a personal-best of 24 last season. He totaled just two points in his first games in The Rivalry.
Alex Eidson totaled 23 points on 6-of-7 shooting from 3-point range in a 71-63 win at Calvin on January 11, 2014. He has netted 66 points in 10 games vs. the Knights for a 6.6 average.
The Flying Dutchmen are coming off a 90-79 win at Kalamazoo Wednesday that saw them record a season-high, 66 second-half points. Ben Gardner's 23 points led five Hope starters in double figures. He was joined by Chad Carlson (17), Brock Benson (14), Harrison Blackledge (11) and Dante Hawkins (10).
Click here to read game notes for the Flying Dutchmen.
Click here for the Hope-Calvin rivalry page.
Click here for historical information about The Rivalry.
Click here to learn about a trivia contest that will take place at halftime.
