Hope vs. Calvin

Yesterday, Hope College defeated Calvin College 79-76 in basketball, their 167th meeting. Hope and Calvin are rivals (easily the fiercest in NCAA Division III) and have been featured by ESPN. In 2005, ESPN named the match-up as the #4 rivalry in all of college basketball.

If you live in West Michigan, are of Dutch heritage, or belong to a RCA or CRC congregation, you have probably have an awareness about the schools and the game. I don't, I'm not, and I'm not, but I learned to root against the Calvin Knights as part of the Dew Crew, Hope's orange-clad student section. Think of it as a D-III version of the Cameron Crazies. Now, I take pleasure in the suffering of the Knights on the hardcourt.

In recent years, alumni from the two schools have gathered around the country to watch the game together. We took pictures. So did other people, but their photos are not online - yet.

Go Dutch.

PS: Hope's mascot, the Flying Dutchmen, was coined in 1958.