KSR Staff Predictions: Kentucky vs. Loyola (MD)

by: KSR1 hour ago

1DX_3185.CR2 — Kentucky Wildcats guard Denzel Aberdeen (1) dunks the ball during the game against Eastern Illinois on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2025, at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky. Photo by Crawford Ifland, Kentucky Sports Radio/On3.

It’s time to get the bad taste of the Champions Classic out of our mouths and get back in the win column. Next up for Kentucky? The fighting Greyhounds of Loyola (Md.).

Jaland Lowe and Mo Dioubate are likely out for the Wildcats, but will it matter against the 2-4 Patriot League competition? What will it take for fans to feel better about this group coming off back-to-back power conference losses to open the season?

The KSR crew shares their game predictions ahead of tonight’s tip-off, scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on SEC Network+.

Nick Roush

We all knew Marymount and Chicago, but there’s also a Loyola in Maryland? News to me. It doesn’t matter. This game is all about Kentucky.

There are things I want to see, but will they happen? It starts with effort and intensity on defense. Offensively, it’s all about ball movement. There’s been more Me-Ball than We-Ball as of late, with players taking contested shots instead of playing unselfish basketball.

Can the switch flip right away? It’ll look good enough in spurts against an overmatched opponent, but there’s nothing in this game that will change the minds of the frustrated Big Blue Nation.

Score: Kentucky 88, Loyola 65

Drew Franklin

Get-right time for the Wildcats. Tonight’s game won’t answer many questions or put to bed any concerns from the last couple of weeks, but Kentucky can build confidence and test rotations and minutes as Mark Pope continues to piece together his second team.

There appear to be many problems at the moment, injuries included. UK is still finding itself offensively without Jaland Lowe, and tonight, the defense may need to step up without starting forward Mo Dioubate. Still, I predict a convincing win in Rupp Arena on Friday night, bringing joy to Big Blue Nation if only for an evening. There is a wide gap in competition, with Loyola barely inside KenPom’s Top 300 at 292. This needs to be a blowout.

Score: Kentucky 90, Loyola 67

Adam Luckett

Kentucky has to figure a lot of stuff out over the two games before North Carolina rolls into Rupp Arena a week from Tuesday. That means trying to find an identity, establishing roles, and figuring out what rotations will allow this team to play its best basketball. There is a very good chance that these next two games aren’t pretty.

I think you will see that play out on Friday night at Rupp Arena.

The offense will look choppy again. The defense will have up and down moments. UK will be in control throughout, but this will not be the total beatdown victory we saw against Valparaiso and Eastern Illinois.

Kentucky has to tinker and figure out what works in a game situation. That starts tonight. Expect some interesting lineup combinations and maybe even some defensive wrinkles we have not seen yet.

Score: Kentucky 85, Loyola 65

Tyler Thompson

For the second Friday in a row, Kentucky can get back in the win column after a depressing loss. Last week’s 46-point win over Eastern Illinois was fun, but Tuesday’s 17-point loss to Michigan State showed that it mattered little. When it comes to the fanbase, I don’t think tonight’s game or next Wednesday’s game vs. Tennessee Tech will either, but this team clearly needs to work some stuff out, so get ready for more lineup and rotation experimenting. If Mo Dioubate is out with the ankle injury he suffered late in Tuesday night’s game, you’ll certainly see a new starting lineup — although it may still include Brandon Garrison.

Loyola Maryland isn’t good, only sporting wins over Penn State Abington and Stonehill. Tonight’s game should not be close; I don’t think it will be. Again, I don’t think this fanbase is really going to feel better until Kentucky wins a big game, and the next opportunity isn’t until Dec. 2 vs. North Carolina, but tonight’s game is the first of two to sort things out and get the good vibes going again in Rupp.

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Score: Kentucky 91, Loyola 64

Jacob Polacheck

The vibes aren’t great in Lexington right now, and Kentucky will need to take care of business on Friday to start moving in the right direction. This is a game Kentucky should win handily, but there’s still plenty we’re watching for.

The biggest thing I want to see on Friday is some lineup movement and offensive flow to set them up for the tougher games on the schedule. Going for a game MVP, I have to go with Andrija Jelavic. I’m expecting him to have a complete game on both sides of the ball while finding his spots to make an impact.

Another player I’m predicting to have a big game is Jasper Johnson. I’m predicting the freshman guard to nail a couple shots from deep and lead the team in points.

Score: Kentucky 94, Loyola 60

Zack Geoghegan

After Kentucky’s loss to Louisville, there was already drama following this group of Wildcats. And yet, Pope’s crew came out and smacked Eastern Illinois by 46 points just a few days later. We’ll see something similar play out tonight against Loyola, even after Tuesday’s ugly loss to Michigan State.

Pope will have a better pulse on getting his team into running more actions. The offense will at least look more organized and better from a communication standpoint. Loyola just gave up 92 points against Duquesne and 85 against Fairfield. Kentucky should have no problem hitting the 90-point mark. UK also hasn’t allowed more than 59 points against the non-ranked teams. That trend will continue tonight. No outcome will satisfy the Big Blue Nation, but no one will be worried about the final score of this one by the midway point of the first half.

Score: Kentucky 91, Loyola 59

Jack Pilgrim

This Kentucky team has no problem beating up on the little guys — it just hasn’t proven it can win against legitimate competition. That won’t be solved until December, unfortunately, but that doesn’t mean we’ll turn down a couple of feel-good wins in the meantime. I’d be stunned if the Wildcats didn’t come out and steamroll a bad Loyola (Md.) team just a few days removed from a double-digit loss at Duquesne with a 2-4 record overall. The Greyhounds struggle defensively and are known to give up baskets to anybody, and outside of the Michigan State disaster, this has been one of the best offenses in the sport.

Credit the Spartans there for discombobulating the Wildcats, but that won’t be the case on Friday night at Rupp Arena. With or without Jaland Lowe and Mo Dioubate, there is just too much firepower on the Kentucky bench to think this won’t be anything but a big-time performance to get the blue and white back in the win column.

I’m ready for some new faces, though, to step up and lead the Wildcats. How about Kam Williams, Andrija Jelavic, and Malachi Moreno as our trio of game MVPs? They deserve the opportunity for some extended run, and I think they make the most of that extra playing time. Let’s learn something new about this group to make us feel better about what hasn’t been working in the big games.

Score: Kentucky 95, Loyola 52