The Broncos were picked to finish fourth in the MAC West Division and received one first-place vote.

[5] Western Michigan participated in the 1997 Hoosier Classic, the 16th-annual holiday tournament held at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, Indiana.

In the championship game against Indiana, WMU held a 31–29 lead at the half before losing 70–63.

[6] Western Michigan finished the season tied with Ball State with the best conference record but lost the head-to-head tiebreaker and was given the No.

Western Michigan received an at-large bid in the 1998 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament and were seeded No.