Iowa State Basketball Star Milan Momcilovic Is Key for Mark Pope

There isn't a person under more pressure than Mark Pope in the Milan Momcilovic sweepstakes.

Mar 22, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope speaks during the postgame press conference after the game against the Iowa State Cyclones during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. | Jeff Le-Imagn Images

Former Iowa State Cyclones star forward Milan Momcilovic is dominating the college basketball headlines.

He is easily the best player remaining in the transfer portal and will reshape the roster and outlook for the 2026-27 men’s basketball season for whichever team he chooses. Right now, it is down to three suitors: the Arizona Wildcats, Kentucky Wildcats and Louisville Cardinals.

Out of those three, the pressure is on Kentucky head coach Mark Pope the most to seal the deal. This offseason has been a rocky one for the Wildcats, who missed on a few targets when the transfer portal opened and look like a team that won’t be in the preseason top 25 despite some solid additions otherwise.

Because of how the offseason unfolded, Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68 went as far as to say that Momcilovic’s recruitment could ultimately impact his job security with the program moving forward.

Milan Momcilovic will have major impact on Mark Pope

Mar 22, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic (22) celebrates after a play during the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. | Jeff Le-Imagn Images

“He might be the guy that ultimately decides whether or not Mark Pope is the coach in Lexington a year from now,” Goodman said during a recent episode of The Field of 68: After Dark.

Chatter around Pope’s job security began when Momcilovic and the Cyclones ran his team out of the gym in the Round of 32 in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Now, not securing Momcilovic, who poured in 20 points in the win, could be the final nail in the coffin for him.

The heat would certainly be turned up on Pope if he were to swing and miss on Momcilovic and watch him enroll with one of their biggest rivals in Louisville.

ICYMI: @GoodmanHoops on how important Milan Momcilovic would be to Mark Pope and Kentucky 👀

"He might be the guy that ultimately decides whether or not Mark Pope is the coach in Lexington a year from now"

🎥: https://t.co/Ky90U5mX3l pic.twitter.com/A94dRR6pWe

— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) May 28, 2026

It would be similar to Iowa State battling with the Iowa Hawkeyes for a player in the transfer portal, being viewed as the leader in the clubhouse for most of the pursuit, and then watching said player pick their rival instead.

Of course, that outcome, Momcilovic selecting the Cardinals over the Wildcats, is one that Cyclones fans could live with. It would certainly be discouraging if they ended up having to play against their former star in the Players Era Festival, with Louisville being on their side of the bracket.

But that is a much better outcome than watching Momcilovic rain down 3-pointers in the Big 12 for Arizona. Heading to Tucson would be a worst-case scenario for the Iowa State faithful, who are hoping that the battle between Kentucky rivals results in one of them securing a commitment from the record-setting 3-point shooter.