A familiar face will greet the 22nd-ranked Hope College men's basketball team in the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Carter Collins '17, a former student assistant coach for the Flying Dutchmen, leads Anderson University (Ind.) into a first-round matchup on Friday, March 1, at Case Western Reserve University's Veale Center in Cleveland, Ohio.
Hope and Anderson tip off at 4:45 p.m. They precede the 7:15 p.m. first-round game between the Spartans of No. 6 Case Western Reserve and the Fighting Squirrels of Mary Baldwin University (Va.).
Friday's winners play on Saturday, March 2, at 7:15 p.m. at Case Western Reserve.
A limited number of tickets will go on sale to the general public online through Case Western Reserve beginning on Wednesday, Feb. 28, at 2 p.m. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance because walk-up availability for tickets cannot be guaranteed.
Tickets will get fans admission to both of Friday's games and cost $15 for adults and $10 for senior citizens, students and children ages 3-17. Children 2 and under are admitted free.
Order tickets while supplies last
Tickets for the second-round game will go on sale on Saturday at 8 a.m.
Parking for spectators will be available at Lot 53, near the Veale Center, for the games at a special event rate of $7 for the day with no in-and-out privileges. The lot will open 60 minutes prior to the first game of each session. The address of Lot 53 is: 2138 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, OH 44106.
This is Hope's third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and 30th overall. The Flying Dutchmen (22-6) earned the MIAA's automatic bid by winning the league tournament last weekend at Trine University with victories against No. 6 Calvin University and No. 9 Trine.
Hope is 2-0 all-time against Anderson. The Flying Dutchmen won at Anderson, 86-78, on Dec. 29, 2018, and, 82-64, at DeVos Fieldhouse on Nov. 23, 2019.
Anderson (23-4) claimed the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference's automatic bid by winning the league tournament title as the No. 1 seed. The Ravens defeated Hanover College (Ind.) by a 90-73 margin on Feb. 24.
This is the second season for Collins as head coach. He guided the Ravens to a 41-14 overall record.
Collins served as an assistant coach for five seasons at Anderson after graduating from Hope with degrees in psychology and communication,
At Hope, Collins played one season of junior varsity basketball before joining Greg Mitchell's coaching staff. As a senior, the Fowlerville, Michigan, native helped the Flying Dutchmen make a run to the Sweet Sixteen.
Case Western Reserve (21-4 overall) claimed the University Athletic Association's NCAA bid after finishing the regular season with a 10-4 league record and tying for first place. The UAA does not hold a postseason tournament.
Mary Baldwin (17-10) earned its postseason berth by winning the USA South Tournament as the No. 1 seed with a 72-62 victory against Greensboro College (N.C.).
