Can Kentucky fend off a late challenger for Milan Momcilovic?

Milan Momcilovic is a must get for the Kentucky Wildcats.

Mar 13, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic (22) reacts at the end of the game against the Arizona Wildcats at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

Today is the day that Big Blue Nation and the rest of the schools involved in the Milan Momcilovic sweepstakes find out if the sharpshooter will be pulling his name out of the NBA Draft or not. This decision could come at any point today, but it will have a massive effect on the upside of this Kentucky basketball team.

For a while, the teams that have been involved with Momcilovic have been Kentucky, Louisville, and St. John’s. Now, a new team is getting involved, and that team is the Arizona Wildcats. The thought from the Arizona camp is that Momcilovic could be a player the Wildcats could land if Koa Peat keeps his name in the NBA Draft.

Mar 22, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic (22) speaks during the postgame press conference after the game against the Kentucky Wildcats 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

In all honesty, Arizona doesn’t seem like the best fit for Momcilovic based on how he plays, knowing he is truly just an offensive player. He doesn’t do a ton of defense and isn’t a big help on the boards despite being 6’8. His one job is to shoot the basketball, and that doesn’t make him a good fit at Arizona or at St. John’s with Rick Pitino.

The two schools that do seem to make the most sense for Momcilovic are Kentucky and Louisville, but the Cardinals have already spent a ton of NIL money, and I don’t believe they will have what it takes to afford college basketball's best shooter.

Assuming Momcilovic does pull out of the NBA Draft, I expect this to be done relatively soon, with the Iowa State transfer picking a new landing spot sooner rather than later. I don’t expect him to take campus visits, and there is a world where he could even commit today.

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

Kentucky is really in need of the services of Momcilovic, as this team is lacking both shooting and a star player. The good news is that since Pope has missed on so many of his top targets, the Wildcats have a lot of NIL money left, and I do expect Kentucky to have the highest offer on the table for Momcilovic.

If Kentucky isn’t able to land Momcilovic, this team will be serviceable, but I don’t believe the roster is good enough to live up to Kentucky basketball type of expectations. This is a very big day for Mark Pope and the Kentucky basketball program as Kentucky looks to add a superstar to the 2026-27 roster.

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