A new addition for St. John's will help Kentucky in the Milan Momcilovic sweepstakes

A late-night update for St. John's could be a good thing for Mark Pope and Kentucky.

Feb 14, 2026; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic (22) grabs a rebound against the Kansas Jayhawks during the second half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

Wednesday was a very busy day for Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats as Big Blue Nation found out the decision of Milan Momcilovic. He decided to pull his name out of the NBA Draft and will be heading back for another season in college hoops. Momcilovic really dragged his decision out as long as possible with the announcement that he would be coming back to college coming after 9:00 pm on Wednesday night.

There have been four schools that are involved in the Momcilovic sweepstakes, and they are Kentucky, Louisville, Arizona, and St. John’s. Late Wednesday night, there was a big development for St. John’s as Baylor transfer Tounde Yessoufou pulled his name out of the NBA Draft and committed to the Red Storm.

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. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Right after Yessoufou picked the Red Storm, there was a report that said they would still be involved with Momcilovic, but now it is looking unlikely that Rick Pitino will land the sharpshooter. This means it is starting to feel like a Kentucky vs. Arizona battle for Momcilovic.

Arizona lost Koa Peat to the NBA, and this means that they will have a big NIL package that they will be able to offer Momcilovic. When it comes to system fit, he doesn’t seem to fit the Arizona system as well as he does the Kentucky system, but Tommy Lloyd will have a lot of money to offer him.

The Wildcats are definitely in the lead right now for Momcilovic, but Pope has had Kentucky in this position a lot this offseason and then proceeded to miss on the player. It would be best for the Wildcats if this decision were made before the weekend, but it could leak into the weekend for the Iowa State transfer.

Mar 22, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic (22) looks to pass as Kentucky Wildcats guard Jasper Johnson (2) defends during the first half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images | Jeff Le-Imagn Images

This recruiting battle is going to be massive for Pope's tenure in Lexington. If the Wildcats are able to land Momcilovic, it would be massive for the outlook of this season for Kentucky. Right now, Kentucky has a solid team with a ton of upside, but Momcilovic would really increase the floor of this team.

Pope is in first as they enter the stretch, but he can’t lay off the gas. Pope knows how important landing Momcilovic will be for the outlook of next season, and the Wildcats have a ton of NIL money to offer the 6’8 sharpshooter. Big Blue Nation can expect a decision soon for Momcilovic.

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