Kentucky Basketball vs. Loyola viewing info, what to watch for, and predictions

In a span of seven days, Kentucky basketball has been severely outplayed on the national stage twice.

First, it was against the Louisville Cardinals, Kentucky’s biggest rival. Most recently, it came against the Michigan State Spartans in the Champions Classic.

A team that entered the season with Final Four expectations looks like a glimmer of that, now sitting with a record of 3-2. Fortunately, the season is still young, and there’s still plenty of time to get things turned around, but progress has to be made, and fast.

Next up, the Loyola Maryland Greyhounds come to Rupp Arena on Friday night. A game that won’t appease the fans, but nonetheless, where progress can be made. If you want to be hopeful, these teams have only faced off once before, as the 2012 National Title team beat them 87-63.

Led by second-year head coach Josh Loerffler, who made a name for himself in Division III before jumping to Loyola, the Greyhounds are looking for their first winning season in more than a decade. They were picked to finish in the middle of the pack of the Patriot League.

Here’s what you need to watch for on Friday for Kentucky vs. Loyola.

Injury Report

It’s no secret the injury bug is running rampant on Kentucky yet again. Junior point guard Jaland Lowe remains out with a shoulder injury, while junior forward Mo Dioubate suffered an ankle injury vs. Michigan State.

On Thursday, Mark Pope said Lowe remains day-to-day and still has a shot of playing again this season, even though he’s not playing Friday night.

As for Dioubate, Pope says he’ll be a game-time decision and has a decent chance of missing this game. That would mean more playing time for Trent Noah, Andrija Jelavic, and Kam Williams.

Run, Run, Run

This Kentucky team’s offense has been putrid to watch at times, especially in the half-court. While they can out-athlete and out-physical Loyola to better shots, they need to shoot better shots in the flow of the offense, and the best way for them to do that is transition.

Mark Pope’s offense is at its best in transition, where he emphasizes, “make the simple play.”

The Wildcats don’t force many turnovers, but they will have many transition opportunities against the Greyhounds, who are one of the worst rebounding teams in the country. Kentucky needs to capitalize on those.

Shot Selection

The most frustrating part of Kentucky’s losses to Louisville and Michigan State has been their stagnant offense and poor shot selection.

Mark Pope, who is supposed to be one of college basketball’s best offensive minds, has yet to find a way to produce with the most talented roster of his career. Against Louisville, Kentucky scored 88 points, but there were stretches of poor shot selection that led to big deficits. Against Michigan State, it was 40 minutes of poor shot selection as the Wildcats shot just 35.1 percent from the field.

Increased ball movement, multiple touches in the paint per possession, and fewer mid-range jump shots are all things that need to be seen.

Confidence

While Mark Pope dispelled the rumors of team chemistry during his Thursday press conference, it is clear that the guys are struggling to understand and perform in their roles. While a game vs. a mid-major won’t solve much, if anything, it can provide a much-needed spark of confidence and energy for this team.

The players and even Pope himself were clearly shaken after their beatdown at MSG. Friday’s game needs to be one that can help get this team back in the right mindset.

Players to Know

G Jacob Theodosiou 6-4, 204 lbs

G Braeden Speed 6-3, 190 lbs

F Jonas Sirtautas 6-10, 205 lbs

Kentucky Basketball vs. Loyola Maryland Greyhounds

Time: 6:00 PM ET on November 21, 2025
Location: Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center in Lexington, Kentucky
Announcers: Darren Headrick and Cameron Mills
Replay: WatchESPN and the ESPN network (check local listings)

Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has yet to release the odds for this game, so check back later for those. As for the metrics, KenPom 99.6%, EvanMiya 99.3%, ESPN 99%, and BartTorvik 98% are all heavily favoring the Wildcats’ odds of winning Friday night.
Predictions: BartTorvik 93-62, Haslametrics 92-63, KenPom 91-62, and EvanMiya 91-63 all project a big win for the home team. While this game won’t do much to move the needle, it’s an opportunity to improve nonetheless, so I’m going with a 94-66 victory, Kentucky!

Let us know your score prediction for Friday night!

Source link