Milan Momcilovic Officially in Transfer Portal With One Caveat

The Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball team is coming off one of the most productive seasons in program history.

They went 29-8, qualifying for the NCAA tournament for the fifth time in as many years with T.J. Otzleberger as head coach. For the third time, they reached the Sweet 16, but were beaten by the Tennessee Volunteers.

Replicating that level of success will be a challenge in the 2026-27 campaign, given how much talent the team is losing. Tamin Lipsey and Joshua Jefferson both exhausted their eligibility, but the final member of their Big 3, Milan Momcilovic, is leaving on his own volition.

The sharpshooting junior has officially entered the NCAA transfer portal, but it comes with a caveat. He has a do-not-contact tag, according to Pete Nakos of On3.

Milan Momcilovic in portal with do-not-contact tag

Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic clapping. — Mar 27, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic (22) reacts in the first half against the Tennessee Volunteers during a Sweet Sixteen game of the Midwest Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at United Center. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Sometimes, the reason for that could be as simple as a player not wanting their phone to be blown up constantly by coaches and people from other schools. That could certainly happen to Momcilovic, who would help every team in the country with his 3-point shooting ability.

However, in his case, it makes sense because he is putting all of his focus currently on living out his dream and being selected in the 2026 NBA Draft. That is the main reason he has entered the transfer portal after discussions with Otzelberger, because it is what he feels is best for himself and his family.

It is also the right move for Iowa State. Seeing a player who has helped the program as much as Momcilovic depart and potentially play elsewhere collegiately during the 2026-27 season will not be easy. But it was a decision that had to be made.

It would have been a massive risk for the Cyclones to wait on him to see what kind of feedback he received from NBA scouts and evaluators. That may not come for at least another month, which would have handicapped the team from making the necessary additions in the transfer portal to compete in the Big 12 next season.

Iowa State forward Milan Momcilovic has officially entered the transfer portal with a do-not-contact tag, @On3 has learned. https://t.co/uOWMfDRMry https://t.co/X4Nx4Vl0Af
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos) April 14, 2026

Replacing the shooting of Momcilovic is impossible. But the depth and talent on the current 2026-27 roster are undeniable.

Iowa State has much more size to help compensate for its rebounding weakness that Tennessee exploited, and it was made possible because they didn’t tie up a roster spot and NIL money waiting on an answer from Momcilovic.

Momcilovic is coming off arguably the greatest 3-point shooting season in men’s college basketball history. He is the first player to lead the country in both 3-point shooting percentage (47.8%) and 3-pointers made (136).

Whether it is as a professional in the NBA or back in college, he is going to be getting paid big money to play basketball.

Add us as a preferred source on Google