UK Cruises to 88-46 Win Over Loyola Maryland

Kentucky sophomore Kam Williams notches season highs in points (13), rebounds (9) and assists (4) while making his first start as a Wildcat Friday night at Rupp Arena. No. 12 UK defeated Loyola Maryland 88-46. Williams is the sixth different player to lead or co-lead the Cats in points this season. (Photo by Danny Vaughn)

By Hayden Kennedy

The Kentucky Wildcats hosted the Loyola Maryland Greyhounds on Friday night in Rupp Arena, cruising to an 88-46 win. The win comes on the heels of a tumultuous few days following the loss to Michigan State last Tuesday night in the Champions Classic.

Kam Williams and Collin Chandler led the way for the Wildcats, both scoring 13 points with Chandler knocking down three 3-pointers, while Williams added nine rebounds. 

In a postgame session with the media, Williams was asked about his playing ability these last few games, saying, “It’s really just preparation, you could say. I am just not making shots right now and there are multiple people who are making shots around the world. So, I have to keep shooting and they’re going to fall, but when they fall, it’s going to be way better than it is now.”

Kentucky's Otega Oweh added 11 points along with five rebounds. This marks his 39th game with double-digit points in 42 showings for the Wildcats. 

Asked about the outside noise following the losses to Louisville and Michigan State, Oweh said, “It’s gonna happen. There’s going to be outside noise if we win, outside noise if we lose. We just have to not let it bother us. Obviously, we are in a position where everything we do is like, there’s a comment on everything we do, so we just can’t worry about it. Like I said, if we win or lose, it’s always going to be people talking. Just have to bounce back.”

Throughout the week, rumors surrounding the chemistry in the locker room swirled after coach Mark Pope’s comments following the Louisville loss, citing an out-of-character atmosphere during pregame. Reports of teammates arguing during the Michigan State game only fueled these rumors. Pope has since gone on to lay the speculation to rest, insisting teammate chemistry is not an issue. 

Kentucky will welcome the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles on Wednesday, November 26. The contest will be shown on the SEC Network at 7 p.m. ET.

Hayden Kennedy, a recent UK graduate, is a contributing writer from Lexington.