Hope College men's basketball will renew a rivalry that has been dormant for half-a-century when it plays NCAA Division I Western Michigan University on Wednesday, Nov. 30, in Kalamazoo. Tipoff at WMU's University Fieldhouse will be 7 p.m.
Hope College men's basketball will renew a rivalry that has been dormant for half-a-century when it plays NCAA Division I Western Michigan University on Wednesday, Nov. 30, in Kalamazoo. Tipoff at WMU's University Fieldhouse will be 7 p.m.
Hope will be playing a Division I opponent for the first time since the 1991-92 season when the Flying Dutchmen lost to Central Michigan University 109-90 in Mt. Pleasant.
"We're thrilled to have the opportunity to play a Division I team," said Hope coach Matt Neil. "(Western) coach Steve Hawkins runs a classy program. This game will definitely be a good early season test for us."
This is a rivalry that started in 1913-14 when WMU was known as Western State. Hope won that inaugural game 35-22. Over the next four decades the teams met almost annually, sometimes twice a season, with Western gaining a 42-14 advantage in the series. They last met in 1950-51 with Western winning 76-56. Hope's last victory over Western occurred in 1940-41 by a 47-43 score.
The November 30th game will be the fifth of the season for the Flying Dutchmen who open on November 15 at home against Rochester.