Milan Momcilovic Picks Kentucky After Leading the Nation in 3-Point Shooting
The biggest transfer portal name on the board has made his choice. Milan Momcilovic is taking his game to Kentucky after a junior season at Iowa State that established him as one of the most efficient scorers in college basketball.
The 6-foot-8 wing led the entire NCAA in three-point shooting at 48.7 percent last year. He averaged 16.9 points per game for a Cyclones team that made the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. He is the kind of plug-and-play scorer that wins games in March.
Mark Pope has officially landed his guy. Kentucky’s second-year head coach has been building a roster that fits the modern style of basketball, and Momcilovic is the perfect addition. He can shoot, he can move without the ball, and he plays the kind of low-mistake basketball that championships are built on.
This is the kind of pickup that changes Kentucky’s ceiling next year. The Wildcats lost a lot from last year’s Sweet Sixteen team. Otega Oweh went pro. Lamont Butler graduated. Andrew Carr is also in the transfer portal. The roster needed a centerpiece scorer who could carry the offensive load, and Momcilovic is exactly that.
The fit alongside Kentucky’s other returning pieces is what makes this signing special. The Wildcats are bringing back combo guard Travis Perry for his sophomore season. They have Brandon Garrison at center. They added 7-footer Moustapha Thiam earlier in the spring through the portal from Cincinnati.
That gives Pope a starting five of Perry, a new portal guard pickup, Momcilovic, Carr’s eventual replacement, and Thiam or Garrison at center. The depth is there. The shooting is there. The defensive versatility is there. This is a Final Four roster on paper.
The competition for Momcilovic was intense. Kentucky beat out final-four-caliber programs like Duke, Houston, and Tennessee for his signature. The reported NIL number was in the $1.5 million range, which is on the higher end of the transfer portal market but justified given his production level.
Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger has handled the situation with class. He posted publicly about Momcilovic’s decision and wished him well at Kentucky. The Cyclones have been one of the best portal programs in the country under Otzelberger, and they will reload with another wing scorer this summer.
For Pope, the second year at Kentucky is the test. His first season was solid. The Wildcats made the tournament, but they lost in the Sweet Sixteen to Houston in a game they should have won. The pressure to take a real step in year two is enormous, and Big Blue Nation does not forgive slow starts.
Momcilovic gives Pope the kind of pro-style player he can build offensive sets around. The Iowa State scheme involved a lot of motion, screening action, and shooting from multiple spots on the floor. Kentucky runs a similar offense under Pope, so the transition should be seamless.
The 2026-27 college basketball season is going to be wide open. Houston returns most of its starters. Duke has Cameron Boozer for one more year potentially. UConn is back in the conversation under Dan Hurley. Tennessee, Auburn, and Florida are all loaded.
Kentucky has not won a national championship since 2012. The pressure to break that drought has been suffocating for John Calipari and now for Mark Pope. Adding Momcilovic does not guarantee anything, but it raises the ceiling significantly.
For Momcilovic personally, this is a big moment. He spent his first three college seasons at Iowa State as a complementary piece. At Kentucky, he will be the focal point of an offense that runs through him. The opportunity to be the star is what he wanted, and the platform of Big Blue Nation will showcase him to NBA scouts in ways Ames never could.
The 2027 NBA Draft has already been mentioned for Momcilovic. He has the size, the shooting, and the IQ to be a second-round pick or possibly even a late first. Kentucky is the perfect launching pad for that next step.
The pickup is done. The expectations are set. Big Blue Nation can finally breathe. Their team next year is going to be a problem.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
