Central Michigan Preview, 2025-26

Central Michigan Chippewas

November 22nd, 2025 at Fiserv Forum

Head Coach: Andy Bronkema (278-105 in Division II, 0-0 at Central Michigan)

Three-Year NET Average: 269.3

Three-Year kenpom Average: 269.7

Projected 2025-26 T-Rank: 275

Andy Bronkema won a Division II National Title at Ferris State

Photo from Central Michigan Athletics

State of the Program

Metrically, Tony Barbee had his best year at Central Michigan (#198 kenpom), but games aren't won on paper, and a 2-8 record in one-possession games (14-17 overall) cost him his job. The Chippewas turn to Andy Bronkema, who was regarded as one of the best coaches in Division II. He won National Coach of the Year and a National Championship at Ferris State in 2018, and won 20+ games 10 times in his 12 years in charge of the Bulldogs with 7 NCAA Tournament bids. The roster is a complete overhaul, with none of the players that played at Fiserv last year returning to CMU. This will be a completely new era for the Chips.

Rotation

D2 transfer Tamario Adley will likely run the point. He's a downhill attacking guard that does most of his work inside the arc, scoring at the rim and getting to the line. He's a reliable shot creator for others who has developed as a ballhawk. Phat Phat Brooks didn't crack the Michigan roster as a freshman and will get a chance to reboot his career. He was a three-time Michigan Division II all-state player and Mr. Basketball as a senior. Keenan Garner can play on the wing or the interior, demonstrating quick hands both in creating turnovers and latching on to rebounds. Rodney Johnson is the most proven D1 player Bronkema has at his disposal. He's a three-level scorer who was one of the best rebounders in the Ohio Valley. Up front, Bronkema brought 7-footer Nathan Claerbaut from Ferris State with him. He's a powerful offensive weapon at the rim who is equally adept at protecting it on the defensive end. The bench is a mix of D2 and JUCO players. One thing that stands out is all of them can shoot.

Style of Play

It's hard to get a good read on a coach coming up from Division II. CBB Analytics shot charts are helpful, but I will caveat that comparing the shooting stats from CBB Analytics to the Ferris State website, these shot charts are not complete and likely represent about half of the Ferris State season. We don't know if Bronkema will keep his style, but we were able to also use the Ferris State stats to extrapolate what Bronkema's 2024-25 team would've looked like if their raw stats were translated to tempo free kenpom numbers in Division I. Here's a look at that extrapolation:

Offensively, Bronkema likes to push the pace. His teams prize ball movement for good shots. They balance twos and threes, but do prioritize getting into the paint or taking threes. His teams shoot well from deep and looking at his roster this year should be no exception. They sell out on offensive rebounds, instead counting on their shooting to get them points rather than risking being out of position defensively after a miss. Their offensive shot chart shows a team that understands the modern game and where they can get good shots.

If CMU can match Ferris State's paint/three efficiency they'll be very good

Shot chart from CBBAnalytics.com

Defensively, it all starts in the middle. They have exceptional 2PFG% defense, especially at the rim, which is the driver behind their stellar eFG% defense. Claerbaut is the anchor there and led the team in blocks with 2.3 per game. Getting back on defense seems to help as they do well limiting second chance points and don't send teams to the line a ton. While forcing turnovers wasn't the driving force for the Bulldogs, don't be surprised to see Central Michigan have a larger focus there. Adley, Brooks, and Garner are all adept at creating turnovers and that could help Bronkema's team push the pace and get easy baskets on the other end. Expect them to develop a solid defensive foundation.

Interior defense was a strength for Ferris State

Shot chart from CBBAnalytics.com

2025-26 Outlook

While Andy Bronkema's resume isn't quite as impressive as Ben McCollum's, the two were contemporaries for more than a decade and McCollum's rise from Northwest Missouri State to Drake to Iowa has shown there are good coaches outside Division 1. Further, two of Bronkema's assistants won Division 3 national titles (Brooks Miller at Trine and Jim Lake at UW-Stout) as head coaches so there's a lot of winning experience on the bench. Bronkema runs a modern system and while he may not have the same athletic edge he had at Ferris State, I trust this team will be up and running at a high level sooner rather than later. He prioritizes eFG% and it doesn't seem like coincidence that the team to finish first in the MAC in eFG% offense has won the league for eight consecutive years. How quickly the lower-level transfers acclimate will be the question, but once he has D1 capable players, they'll be competitive. This will almost certainly be a Quadrant 4 game and comfortable win for Marquette, but won't be a bad game to have on the resume.

Marquette Connection

If there's any question whether the types of players Bronkema has recruited can compete in D1, one need look no further than Zach Hankins. After winning a national title with Bronkema in 2018, Hankins transferred to Xavier. The big man played in all 35 games for Xavier, starting 22 while posting a stellar 128.7 adjusted offensive rating and averaging 10.6 ppg and 5.3 rpg. His most prominent role against Marquette came at Cintas, when Xavier was looking to upset the #12 Golden Eagles. Hankins' basket with 7:00 to play put Xavier ahead 69-63, but Marquette answered with a 16-2 run to clinch a lead they would not give up. Marquette came out with an 87-82 road win.