Iowa State Basketball Star Milan Momcilovic Accomplishes Impressive NCAA First

Milan Momcilovic was able to accomplish something never before in NCAA history.

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

With the season coming to an end for the Iowa State Cyclones, they have to be pleased with how things went overall. 

The 2025-26 campaign was undoubtedly a strong one for the Cyclones. This was a team ranked in the Top 10 for most of the year and, following a hot start to the season, was ranked as high as number two in the country at one point. 

Head coach T.J. Otzelberger has completely turned this program around, leading it to five straight trips to the NCAA tournament and a few appearances in the Sweet 16. This year, it felt like Iowa State really had a chance to make some noise in the NCAA tournament. 

This was a squad that had marquee wins under their belt and played in one of the best conferences in college basketball. However, an injury to star forward Joshua Jefferson in their opening game undoubtedly contributed to their loss to the Tennessee Volunteers in the Sweet 16. 

While it might have been an earlier exit than they would have liked, the team did have plenty of performers who had excellent campaigns. One of those players was sharpshooter Milan Momcilovic. 

Milan Makes History

History Was Made.#Cyclones | #C5C pic.twitter.com/Fzh3Id6elB

— Iowa State Men’s Basketball (@CycloneMBB) April 9, 2026

In his junior season, it became pretty apparent that Momcilovic was a player who took a massive step forward for the Cyclones. This was a team that improved quite a bit on that end of the court compared to in previous years, and the shooting of their forward was part of that. 

Momcilovic is going to go down as having one of the best shooting seasons in the history of college basketball. For the first time ever, he was able to lead the country in both three-pointers made and three-point percentage. At his size, that is a remarkable feat for the junior forward, and he had a fantastic campaign. 

On multiple occasions this year, he was able to hit eight three-pointers in a game. Those are some video game-type numbers for the junior, and it was a fantastic campaign. 

Now, there is a good amount of uncertainty about what will be next for Momcilovic. After such a fantastic and record-setting season, it is no surprise that he is going to see if NBA scouts believe he could be drafted this year. However, he has reserved the right to return to Iowa State for his senior season, and he would undoubtedly be one of the best players in the country next year if he chose to do so.