2024–2025 Schedule

Men’s Basketball

Wednesday, January 22 at Hope
7:30 p.m. EST

Saturday, February 1, 2025 at Calvin
3:00 p.m. EST

Women’s Basketball

Saturday, January 4, 2025 at Calvin
3:00 p.m. EST

Saturday, February 1, 2025 at Hope
7:00 p.m. EST

Radio

THEVAN 92.7 FM
Holland, Mich.

Athletics Websites

Calvin Knights

Hope Athletics

Watch Party Game

Calvin will host a number of watch party locations for the Saturday, February 1, 2025 Rivalry game.

Interested in hosting a group? Contact us at alumni@calvin.edu or alumni@hope.edu.

Be social! #therivalry

Photos

Send us your best digital photos and we’ll share them with the world. Or you can! #therivalry

Calvin Rivalry Photo Gallery

Hannah Patterson

Calvin Alumni Association
(616) 526-6142
alumni@calvin.edu

Please tag @Calvin Alumni Association in your Facebook photos and use #therivalry #calvinknights #calvink4l for Twitter and Instagram.

Hope Rivalry Photo Gallery

Jenna Teater

Hope College Alumni Association
(616) 395-7250
alumni@hope.edu

Please tag @Hope College Alumni in your Facebook photos and use #therivalry #hopecalvin for Twitter and Instagram.

#therivalry

History

The all-time men’s series

  • Spans 105 years
  • 213 games
  • Hope leads series 111–102

Fast facts*

*Updated September 16, 2024

*Check out New York Times coverage from January 13, 2015

  • The Calvin vs Hope series, which is in its 11th decade of play, now spans 105 years and 213 games and sees Hope leading the series 111–102.

  • Calvin was 33–16 (67.3%) vs Hope in games played at the Calvin Fieldhouse (since 1965–66), while Hope was 31–24 (55.6%) vs Calvin in games played at the Holland Civic Center (since 1954–55) and is now 15–11 against Calvin at DeVos Fieldhouse. Hope is now 12–10 against Calvin at Van Noord Arena including 7–4 over the last eight years.

  • Over 213 games, Hope has outscored Calvin by just 15 points (14,457–14,442) which works out to a difference of just 0.07 points per game!!

  • Calvin head coach Bill Sall is in his fifth year as head coach. He is 4–8 against Hope. Hope head coach Greg Mitchell is 13–12 against the Knights. As a player at Calvin, Sall was 7–3 against Hope. As a player at Hope, Mitchell was 4–5 against Calvin.

  • In 2005, ESPN ranked the Calvin–Hope series as the fourth greatest college basketball rivalry, listed after Division I battles such as Duke–North Carolina (#1); Connecticut–Tennessee women (#2); and Louisville–Kentucky (#3). The sports channel filmed a segment of their "Greatest Rivalries" feature at the February, 2005 Calvin–Hope game.

  • The January 29, 1997 game at Van Andel Arena in downtown Grand Rapids, a 70–56 Hope triumph, established an NCAA Division III single game attendance record with a capacity crowd of 11,442.

  • The longest winning streak in the Calvin–Hope series came between 1969 and 1980 when Calvin won 22 consecutive games.  Hope’s longest streak was a streak of 10 games, between 1995–1998.

  • In 1964–65, Hope beat Calvin 104–102 in double–overtime in the series’ highest scoring game.  The lowest scoring game was a 26–11 Hope win in 1924–25.

  • There have been 12 overtime games with each team having won six overtime games. The last overtime contest took place in in the 2017 MIAA regular season final (February 18, 2017) as Calvin defeated Hope 65–62 in overtime at DeVos Fieldhouse.

  • Calvin’s biggest margin of victory is 42 points (85–43, 1951–1952).  Hope’s biggest margin of victory is 34 points (54–20, 1921–1922).

  • Since Calvin began a member of the MIAA in time for the 1953–54 season it has won 33 MIAA titles while Hope has won 34 league crowns in that time. Calvin and Hope have won outright or shared 64 of 71 MIAA titles since 1953–54 with an Olivet title in 1972, an Alma/Albion co-title in 1978, Albion crowns in 1979, 2005 and 2020 and a Trine title in 2019 and 2021 marking the only seven seasons that Calvin or Hope didn’t have at least a piece of the title.

More notes on Calvin vs Hope Men’s Basketball

  • The teams met five times in 2006–07. Hope won the series 3–2 in the most unusual way. Hope defeated Calvin twice on the Knights’ home floor and Calvin defeated Hope twice in games at Hope's DeVos Fieldhouse. The fifth-game "rubber match" was played on a neutral floor in Aurora, Ill. with Hope prevailing 80–64 in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

  • The teams met for the first time in the championship game of the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame Classic in November, 2006 with the Flying Dutchmen prevailing 76–54 on Calvin’s home court.

  • The teams have met 20 times in the MIAA tournament since it began in 1992. Hope owns a 12–8 advantage and is 9–5 when the game determined the tournament champion. Calvin has won the MIAA Tournament 12 time while Hope has won 13. In 2006–07, the Knights defeated the Flying Dutchmen in the tournament finals 78–76 at Hope. In 2007–08, Hope defeated Calvin 88–72 in the MIAA Tournament Championship game. In 2008–09, Hope defeated Calvin 69–59 in the tournament final and in 2009–10, Hope defeated Calvin 78–74. In 2010–11, Hope defeated Calvin 72–67 in the title tilt. In 2011–12, Hope defeated Calvin 87–80 in the MIAA Tournament semifinals. In 2012–13, Calvin defeated Hope 77–57 in the final. In 2013–14, Calvin defeated Hope 78–53 in the championship final and then edged the Flying Dutchmen 70–69 in the 2014–15 championship tilt. In 2016–17, Calvin topped Hope 86–83 in the MIAA Tournament final. In 2018–19, Calvin edged Hope 68–66 in a first round MIAA Tournament game. In 2021–22, Hope beat Calvin 76–68 to win the MIAA Tournament. In 2022–23, Hope beat Calvin 61–54 to win the MIAA Tournament. In 2023-24, Hope defeated Calvin 83-68 in the MIAA Tournament Semifinals.

  • The teams have met six times in the NCAA playoffs with Calvin winning four of the six — 92–90 ot in 1987, 95–68 in 1990, 84–79 in 1991 and 91–88 in 1992. Hope posted back-to-back victories in 2006 (70–67) and 2007 (80–64).

  • Calvin and Hope have shared just two MIAA titles since 1953 and that was a tri-championship in 1981 between Albion, Calvin and Hope and a co-title between Calvin and Hope in 1999.

  • In the decade of the 2010’s, Hope won 15–13. Since the series began in 1924, Hope has won seven of the 11 decades.

Decade-by-decade

  • 1920s – Hope won 6–2
  • 1930s – Hope won 9–5
  • 1940s – Hope won 8–2
  • 1950s – 10 games each
  • 1960s – Hope won 11–9
  • 1970s – Calvin won 21–0
  • 1980s – Hope won 14–9
  • 1990s – 13 games each
  • 2000s – Hope won 16–14
  • 2010s – Hope won 16–13
  • 2020s – Hope leads 8–4

Chronology of all-time Calvin-Hope men’s basketball scores

Facts compiled by Tom Renner & Alan Babbitt, Hope College, and Jeff Febus, Calvin University

The all-time women’s series

  • Spans 55 years
  • 137 games
  • Calvin leads 71–66

Fast facts*

*Updated September 16, 2024

  • Through 55 years and 137 games, Calvin leads the series 71–66.

  • The Hope/Calvin women’s basketball rivalry started in 1965 with a 49–35 Calvin victory.

  • Since women’s basketball became an official MIAA sport in 1978–79, Hope leads the series 66–50.

  • Since 2000, Hope holds a 51–15 series advantage.

  • The most points by Hope in a game against Calvin was 91–42 in 2021. Calvin’s most points was 87–71 in 1984. The most points by both teams in a game was in Hope’s 88–81 win in November, 2013.

  • Hope defeated Calvin three times during the 2005–06 season enroute to winning the NCAA Division III national championship. Two of the wins came during the regular season and the third in the championship game of the conference tournament.

  • The teams have combined to win 34 of a possible 44 MIAA championships through 2023–24, Hope has won or shared 22 MIAA titles with Calvin winning or sharing 15.

  • The Calvin/Hope rivalry has required a coin flip on two occasions to determine the top seed for the MIAA Tournament as the two teams tied for the regular season league championship in both 2011 and 2013. Calvin won the coin flip both years with Calvin going on to win the 2011 MIAA Tournament at Van Noord Arena while Hope went on to win the 2013 MIAA Tournament, also at Van Noord Arena.

  • The teams have been to the NCAA tournament a combined 36 times, 20 by Hope and 16 by Calvin. Hope’s best NCAA finish was winning the national championship in 1990, 2006 and 2022 while Calvin’s best has been playing in the national quarterfinals finals four times (2005, 2007, 2012 and 2015). Both teams have advanced to the NCAA tournament in the same year on multiple occasions (1998, 1999, 2006 and 2007, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017), but they’ve never met. Hope is 41–17 in NCAA games while Calvin is 20–14.

  • The fewest points by Hope in a game against Calvin was in a 73–19 loss in 1975. The fewest points by Calvin was in a 77–26 loss in 2021.

  • The teams have played each other 21 times in the MIAA tournament since 1993. Hope has a 13–8 advantage. The teams have met in the MIAA tournament championship game 11 times with Hope winning eight and Calvin three times. —Hope won 59–43 in 1995, 73–71 in overtime in 1998, 63–44 in 2006, 71–68 in 2007, 68–49 in 2010 and 62–59 in 2012 while Calvin won 67–65 in 2011 and 65–43 in 2012. Hope then won 62–59 in the 2013 MIAA Tournament final and 88–79 in the 2014 MIAA Tournament final. In 2015, Calvin defeated Hope 77–73 in the title game.

  • Hope coach Brian Morehouse is 53–22 in games against Calvin since 1996–97. Calvin coach Mark Christner is 0–13 in games against Hope.

  • Calvin’s longest winning streak in the series was 21 games (1965–79) and the longest with Hope is 18 (2018–24).

  • The scoring difference between the teams is 84 points in favor of Calvin. Hope has scored 7,924 points, an average of 57.84 per game. Calvin has scored 8,008 points, an average of 58.45 per game.

  • Five games have gone into overtime with Hope winning four of the five overtime games. Hope won 55–53 in 1995 and in 2001 73–71. Calvin won 63–58 in 2007. Hope triumphed 63–55 in 2017 and Hope won 63–58 in 2018.

  • 31 of the games have been decided by five or fewer points with Calvin holding an 18–13 advantage in those games. In one-point games Calvin leads 3–1 (59–58 in 1981, 61–60 in 1984 and 56–55 in 2011 with Hope winning 70–69 in 2018).

  • Six of the all-time NCAA Division III women’s basketball; single-game attendance marks have been Calvin/Hope games. The largest DeVos Fieldhouse crowd was 3,443 on February 16, 2013 when Hope won 65–60. The largest at Calvin’s Van Noord Arena was on February 21, 2009 (3,175), also a Hope win, 65–50.

  • The late Karla Hoesch Wolters, Hope Class of 1973 and a former member of the Hope College and Calvin College Kinesiology faculty, coached Calvin to the 1979 MIAA championship. She was 3–0 in games she coached her Calvin teams against Hope from 1977–79.

  • Chronology of all-time Calvin-Hope women’s basketball scores

Decade-by-decade

  • 1960s – Calvin won 8–0
  • 1970s – Calvin won 13–0
  • 1980s – Calvin won 16–7
  • 1990s – Calvin won 19–8
  • 2000s – Hope won 19–5
  • 2010s – Hope won 19–10
  • 2020s – Hope leads 12–0

Facts compiled by Tom Renner & Alan Babbitt, Hope College, and Jeff Febus, Calvin University

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