Iowa St. transfer forward Milan Momcilovic decided to withdraw from the 2026 NBA Draft last week after testing the waters. Since then, it’s reportedly been a four-school chase for his services between Kentucky, Arizona, Louisville and St. John’s.
Momcilovic announced late Monday night that he’s committed to Kentucky. In doing so, a frustrating offseason for Big Blue Nation is mostly forgotten, and the Wildcats are likely going to be a Top-20 team in preseason rankings.
In fact, they are #16 in college basketball insider Jon Rothstein’s updated Top 45. Momcilovic will join a starting five that’ll most likely include guard Zoom Diallo, guard Alex Wilkins, forward Ousmane N’Diaye and center Malachi Moreno, who pulled out of the 2026 NBA Draft last week after testing the waters.
Momcilovic started all 37 games for the Cyclones this past season, leading them to a Sweet 16 appearance despite the absence of forward Joshua Jefferson, who sustained a low-ankle sprain early in the first half of a first-round win over Tennessee Tech.
Momcilovic averaged 16.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game to earn second-team All-Big 12 honors. He made 50.6 percent of his field-goal attempts, 48.7 percent of his 3-pointers and 87.8 percent of his free throws.
The 6-foot-8 Momcilovic had 20 points, five rebounds, two steals and one assist in an 82-63 win over Kentucky in the Round of 32. He drained 6-of-12 FGAs and 4-of-9 treys against the Wildcats.
However, in a 76-62 loss vs. Tennessee in the Sweet 16, Momcilovic was limited to six points, three assists and one steal. He hit just 2-of-9 FGAs and 2-of-7 launches from 3-point land.
As a freshman at Iowa St. during the 2023-24 campaign, Momcilovic was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman team after starting all 37 games and averaging 10.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.2 APG. He knocked down 42.4 percent of his FGAs, 35.9 percent of his 3-pointers and 80.9 percent of his free throws.
Momcilovic helped the Cyclones reach the Sweet 16. He had 19 points, five boards and two assists without a turnover in an 82-65 win over South Dakota in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Momcilovic was also in double figures with 10 points in a 67-56 win over Washington St. in the Round of 32.
But in a 72-69 loss to third-seeded Illinois in the East Region semifinals, Momcilovic was held to only one point, two rebounds and one blocked shot in 22 minutes of action.
As a sophomore, Momcilovic started 27 of 28 games he played in. He averaged 11.5 points and 3.3 RPG, hitting 39.6 percent of his treys.
Momcilovic finished with 20 points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal in an 82-55 win over Lipscomb in the first round of the 2025 NCAAT. However, he had only five points and four rebounds in a 91-78 loss vs. Ole Miss in the Round of 32.
According to 247Sports, Kentucky now has the country’s #68 overall recruiting class, but the transfer-specific group is ranked #2 nationally. Momcilovic is a five-star transfer ranked as the #2 overall player and the #1 power forward.
Wilkins (Furman), Diallo (Washington) and center Franck Kepnang (Washington) are four-star transfers. The ‘Cats have two remaining roster spots open.
FanDuel has Kentucky’s odds to win the 2027 NCAA Tournament at 45/1. Those are the 23rd-shortest odds on the board.