All of the exciting basketball in The Rivalry this season will be broadcast by longtime West Michigan sports broadcaster Bret Bakita and former Michigan State University standout Drew Neitzel.

Hope College and Calvin University have partnered with Bakita and Neitzel to deliver play-by-play and analysis for this year's livestream broadcasts of all four men's and women's basketball games.

On Wednesday, Jan. 11, Hope hosts Calvin at DeVos Fieldhouse for the 208th men's basketball game between the two schools. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. The MIAA contest can be seen exclusively on the Hope Athletics YouTube account. Fans also can listen to the game on 92.7 The Van, both on the radio and online.

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Bakita and Neitzel, who work together announcing high school basketball in West Michigan for ESPN 96.1 and IHeartMedia, will host a pregame show approximately 10 minutes before tipoff. Fans can watch exclusive pre-game interviews with Flying Dutchmen head coach Greg Mitchell and Knights head coach Bill Sall.

After the game, Bakita and Neitzel will interview the head coach and a student-athlete from the winning team.

Bakita has been a fixture on West Michigan airwaves for nearly 20 years. He is a member of the WOOD Radio's West Michigan Morning News radio show as well as the lead high school basketball and football play-by-play announcer for ESPN FM 96.1.

Neitzel is one of just three players in Michigan State history and 12 players in Big Ten history with 1,500 career points and 500 career assists. The 2004 Michigan Mr. Basketball out of Wyoming Park High School played professionally overseas for four years after college. Neitzel is a First Vice President - Investment Officer for Wells Fargo in Grand Rapids.

Thank you to our Anchor Partners, LVZ, Lighthouse Title Group and Holland Board of Public Works for sponsoring the game.

We also want to thank our Rivalry Sponsors, Soundoff Signal, MVP, Huisman Flowers, Michigan ENT, and BioLife for sponsoring the game. 

The Rivalry spans 102 years, dating back to the 1920-21 season when the Flying Dutchmen scored a 31-13 victory. 

Hope leads the all-time series with the Knights, 107-100. Fewer than 100 total points separate the two teams after all these years.

Calvin enters tied atop the MIAA standings with a 2-0 league record and a 10-3 mark overall. Hope is one of four MIAA teams tied for third place, one game back of Calvin and Trine. The Flying Dutchmen are 7-6 overall. 

Hope and Calvin meet again in men's basketball on Wednesday, Feb. 15, at 7:30 p.m. at Calvin.

Earlier this season, Hope won the first women's basketball game of the season in The Rivalry, defeating Calvin, 62-56, in Grand Rapids on November 30.

Hope will host the rematch on Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 7:30 p.m. at DeVos Fieldhouse.