Loyola men’s basketball unveils challenging 2026-27 schedule highlighted by Georgetown, Virginia and 410 Invitational
Loyola University Maryland men’s basketball will not ease into the 2026-27 season.
The Greyhounds have assembled a schedule filled with regional rivalries, major-conference road tests and a new Baltimore-area tournament before beginning an 18-game Patriot League slate in late December. Loyola opens the season Monday, Nov. 2, on the road against Georgetown in Washington, D.C., before traveling to Mount St. Mary’s four days later.
For head coach Josh Loeffler, the schedule provides his program with a series of measuring sticks as Loyola tries to take another step forward in his third season leading the Greyhounds.
Loyola finished the 2025-26 regular season 12-19 overall and 8-10 in Patriot League play, earning the No. 6 seed in the conference tournament. The Greyhounds advanced to a quarterfinal matchup against Colgate after a conference season that included victories over Army West Point, Boston University, Bucknell, American, Lehigh, Lafayette and Holy Cross.
Greyhounds open with Georgetown, Mount St. Mary’s
Loyola will immediately be tested away from Reitz Arena.
The Greyhounds open Nov. 2 at Georgetown before visiting Mount St. Mary’s in Emmitsburg on Nov. 6. Loyola then plays its home opener Nov. 9 against Washington College.
Opening against Georgetown gives Loyola an opportunity to face a Big East program before it has even played a home game. The meeting with Mount St. Mary’s also gives the Greyhounds an early in-state matchup and another opportunity to measure themselves against Division I competition away from Baltimore.
Those games begin what should be one of the more interesting nonconference schedules Loyola has played in recent years.
Loyola joins inaugural 410 Invitational
One of the biggest additions to the schedule comes just a few days later.
Loyola will participate in the inaugural 410 Invitational, a new Baltimore-area college basketball event created by Under Armour featuring Loyola, Towson, Morgan State and UMBC.
The tournament is designed as a multi-year event celebrating Baltimore basketball, with Towson hosting the championship round during the inaugural season. Loyola’s men’s and women’s programs are both participating.
The Greyhounds open the event against Towson on Thursday, Nov. 12, in Towson. Loyola will then play either Morgan State or UMBC on Saturday, Nov. 14.
For Maryland basketball fans, the event could become one of the more entertaining additions to the local college sports calendar.
All four schools are separated by relatively short drives, but they compete in different conferences and do not always meet consistently. Putting them together in a tournament provides legitimate local bragging rights and gives fans a chance to compare four Baltimore-area Division I programs.
Loyola could potentially play three Maryland opponents — Mount St. Mary’s, Towson and either Morgan State or UMBC — within the first two weeks of the season.
Virginia provides major early road test
Following the 410 Invitational, Loyola heads to Charlottesville for arguably its biggest test of the nonconference schedule.
The Greyhounds will visit Virginia on Friday, Nov. 20.
Games like Georgetown and Virginia give Loeffler’s program opportunities that extend beyond wins and losses. Loyola will see high-major size, athleticism and depth before Patriot League competition begins.
The Greyhounds return home Nov. 24 against Rider and host Hartwick on Nov. 30 before beginning another difficult portion of the schedule.
Dayton another marquee opponent
Loyola travels to Dayton on Wednesday, Dec. 2.
The Greyhounds then visit Manhattan on Dec. 8 before returning to Reitz Arena for games against Central Connecticut State on Dec. 13 and Fairleigh Dickinson on Dec. 18.
The nonconference schedule concludes with another difficult road assignment when Loyola visits High Point on Dec. 21.
That means Georgetown, Virginia, Dayton and High Point are all road games.
Loyola will have to learn how to handle difficult environments early, something that could become valuable when the Greyhounds begin traveling throughout the Patriot League.
Patriot League play begins at Reitz Arena
Loyola’s conference schedule starts Dec. 30 when Boston University visits Baltimore.
Army West Point follows at Reitz Arena on Jan. 2 before Loyola plays its first Patriot League road game Jan. 6 at Lafayette. The Greyhounds then return home for consecutive games against Holy Cross on Jan. 9 and American on Jan. 11.
Loyola visits Bucknell on Jan. 16 before another important home stretch featuring Lafayette on Jan. 20 and Lehigh on Jan. 23.
The Greyhounds travel to Annapolis to face Navy on Jan. 27.
That game should immediately stand out for Maryland basketball fans.
Navy dominated the Patriot League regular season in 2025-26, finishing 17-1 in conference play and earning the No. 1 seed in the Patriot League tournament. Loyola lost its 2025-26 road matchup against the Midshipmen and will get another opportunity in Annapolis before Navy makes the return trip to Baltimore.
Loyola closes January at Holy Cross on Jan. 30.
February could decide Loyola’s postseason position
The Greyhounds begin February with Colgate at Reitz Arena on Feb. 3 before traveling to American on Feb. 6.
Navy comes to Baltimore on Feb. 10 for the second meeting between the Maryland Patriot League programs.
From there, the schedule becomes increasingly road-heavy.
Loyola travels to Boston University on Feb. 13 and Lehigh on Feb. 17 before hosting Bucknell on Feb. 21 in its final scheduled home game of the regular season.
The Greyhounds then finish with consecutive road games against Army West Point on Feb. 24 and Colgate on Feb. 27.
That closing stretch could have a major impact on Patriot League tournament seeding.
Patriot League tournament begins March 2
The 2027 Patriot League Championship begins March 2 with first-round games played at the home of the higher seed.
Quarterfinal games are scheduled for March 4, followed by the semifinals March 7 and the championship game March 10. Each round is scheduled to be hosted by the higher-seeded team.
That makes the regular season particularly important.
Finishing near the top of the standings not only provides a more favorable matchup but also creates the opportunity to play postseason basketball at Reitz Arena.
A changing Loyola roster
Loeffler will enter his third season with a roster that includes a mixture of returning players, freshmen and transfers.
Among the players listed on Loyola’s 2026-27 roster are returning guard Troy Cicero Jr., Carter Berg-McLean and sophomore wing Sebastien Emenalo. New additions include transfer guards Max Ortega and D’Andre Harrison along with freshmen Robbie Long III, Seamus Bieg and Zeke Walker.
Emenalo showed flashes during his freshman season, appearing in 31 games while averaging 3.2 points and 3.3 rebounds. He scored a season-high 19 points against Colgate and also produced a 10-point, nine-rebound performance at Army West Point.
Loeffler’s staff also has a new assistant in Chris Santo, who joined Loyola after leading Saint Anselm to a 25-8 record, the 2026 Northeast-10 Conference championship and a run to the NCAA Division II East Regional championship game. Santo went 40-23 across two seasons as Saint Anselm’s head coach.
Loyola 2026-27 schedule
Nov. 2 — at Georgetown
Nov. 6 — at Mount St. Mary’s
Nov. 9 — Washington College
Nov. 12 — at Towson — 410 Invitational
Nov. 14 — Morgan State or UMBC — 410 Invitational
Nov. 20 — at Virginia
Nov. 24 — Rider
Nov. 30 — Hartwick
Dec. 2 — at Dayton
Dec. 8 — at Manhattan
Dec. 13 — Central Connecticut State
Dec. 18 — Fairleigh Dickinson
Dec. 21 — at High Point
Dec. 30 — Boston University
Jan. 2 — Army West Point
Jan. 6 — at Lafayette
Jan. 9 — Holy Cross
Jan. 11 — American
Jan. 16 — at Bucknell
Jan. 20 — Lafayette
Jan. 23 — Lehigh
Jan. 27 — at Navy
Jan. 30 — at Holy Cross
Feb. 3 — Colgate
Feb. 6 — at American
Feb. 10 — Navy
Feb. 13 — at Boston University
Feb. 17 — at Lehigh
Feb. 21 — Bucknell
Feb. 24 — at Army West Point
Feb. 27 — at Colgate
March 2 — Patriot League First Round
March 4 — Patriot League Quarterfinals
March 7 — Patriot League Semifinals
March 10 — Patriot League Championship
MSB Take
This is exactly the type of schedule Loyola should be playing.
The Greyhounds will have opportunities against recognizable national programs in Georgetown, Virginia and Dayton, but what makes the schedule especially interesting for Maryland Sports Blog is the amount of local basketball packed into November.
Opening at Georgetown, traveling to Mount St. Mary’s and then participating in a tournament with Towson, Morgan State and UMBC gives Loyola several games that actually mean something to basketball fans in this region.
The 410 Invitational could become particularly valuable. Baltimore has several Division I basketball programs within a relatively small area, and those teams should play each other more often. Loyola-Towson followed by a potential Loyola-UMBC or Loyola-Morgan State matchup is good for the schools, good for attendance and good for Baltimore basketball.
Then comes the bigger challenge.
Loyola has to turn competitive performances into more victories in Patriot League play. The Greyhounds went 8-10 in the conference last season, showing they could beat plenty of teams in the league, but the next step is becoming consistent enough to compete for a top-four seed and postseason home games.
Road tests against Georgetown, Virginia, Dayton and High Point should expose weaknesses early. That is not necessarily a bad thing.
By the time Navy, Colgate, Lehigh, Bucknell and the rest of the Patriot League arrive, Loyola should know exactly what kind of basketball team it has.
The Greyhounds certainly will not enter conference play untested.
