Kalamazoo vs Western Michigan prediction: Kahil Fennell's rebuilt Western Michigan debuts at home against Kalamazoo
A near-total roster overhaul makes this Division III exhibition the first look at what Fennell has built in Kalamazoo.
- Western Michigan should control a Division III visitor it has handled every recent year; the real interest is the new rotation.
- Watch the UTRGV transfers Fennell brought with him, Jaylen Washington and Julien Gomez, and how quickly they mesh with the other newcomers.
- No spread or total posted. Last season's 274th-ranked net rating describes a team that has almost entirely left.
Fennell's first home night
Western Michigan moved on after four losing seasons and hired Kahil Fennell from UT Rio Grande Valley on a five-year deal in April. Thursday is his first home game at University Arena. It comes a few days after the scheduled season opener at Old Dominion on Nov. 2, so the Broncos should arrive with one real game behind them.
Kalamazoo College, a Division III program coached by Nick Giard since 2019, lists the game as an exhibition. That means this is mostly an audition for a brand-new rotation.
A roster built from scratch
Nearly the entire 2025-26 team entered the transfer portal. Justice Williams and Jayden Brewer graduated. Jalen Griffith, Trey Lewis, EJ Ryans, Brady Swartz and Max Burton all transferred out.
That makes last season's numbers a poor guide. The Broncos went 10-21 and finished 274th of 365 in adjusted net efficiency, a measure of points scored minus points allowed per 100 possessions, adjusted for opponents. Their defense was the weak spot, 316th in adjusted efficiency. Almost none of the players behind those figures remain.
The new core starts with Fennell's UTRGV imports, Jaylen Washington and Julien Gomez. Isaac Finlinson (Hawaii), Rob Lee Jr. (Lamar) and Tanner Hayhurst (Southern Utah) are also listed as arrivals. The Broncos were picked 8th in a MAC preseason poll.
A lopsided history
The exhibitions in this series have been one-sided. Western Michigan won 80-39 last fall, 92-63 in 2024 and 94-63 in 2023. The closer results came in 2022, an 82-59 win, and back in 2005, a 79-63 win.
Those games came with different rosters on both sides. Still, they set the expected shape: a Division I team pulling away, with the second half used to look at depth. For Fennell, the useful details will be rotation choices and defensive effort, not the final margin.
Numbers that matter
| Last year's exhibition | 80-39 | Western Michigan's margin over Kalamazoo in the 2025 exhibition, the most lopsided result in the recent series. |
|---|---|---|
| Last season's record | 10-21 | The final record of a 2025-26 roster that has almost entirely departed. |
| Last season's adjusted net rank | 274th | Western Michigan's end-of-year net efficiency rank out of 365, a weak guide after the roster overhaul. |
| Last season's adjusted defense rank | 316th | The biggest weakness Fennell inherited, though the players behind that figure are gone. |
| MAC preseason poll | 8th | Where the rebuilt Broncos were projected in the conference before the season. |
Kalamazoo vs Western Michigan: quick answers
When is Kalamazoo vs Western Michigan?
Thursday, November 5, 2026 at 7:00 PM ET.