Sometimes, I’m told, the best things come in small packages. My wife, who’s not quite 5-feet tall reminds me of this frequently:-)
So, when my friend Todd asked if the Calvin University–Hope College men’s basketball game was on my list of events to see during my Around the World in 80 Sporting Events project, I told him it was not, but quickly followed up with a question:
Should it be?
Yes, came his answer as a proud Hope alum. He then began to regale me with data about how competitive the rivalry is (Hope currently leads the all-time series 111-105), how the New York Times featured the game over a decade ago while the New York Knicks were struggling, mightily. ESPN’s given it some publicity (see this 2007 story) and even ranked it as the fourth best college basketball rivalry in the country behind only Duke-North Carolina, UConn-Tennessee women, and Kentucky-Louisville.
Known simply as The Rivalry, the game’s been played since the 1920-21 season and, entering the first meeting this season, the teams are separated by one point all time. Yes, just one point separates the cumulative scoring for the two schools through 216 all-time games (Calvin leads it 14,637 to 14,636).
Later tonight I’ll be in the stands at Hope’s DeVos Fieldhouse thanks to a ticket Todd helped secure.
But before attending the game, I decided it’d be a good idea to learn a bit more about The Rivalry. The two schools’ athletic directors – Dr. Jim Timmer Jr. from Calvin and Tim Schoonveld from Hope – were kind enough to join me on this special bonus episode of Conversations with Sports Fans to discuss the schools, their history, and, of course, The Rivalry.