Kentucky coach Mark Pope needs to go all in on Milan Momcilovic

With potential star players dwindling Mark Pope has to go hard after Milan Momcilovic.

Mar 22, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic (22) celebrates with Iowa State Cyclones guard Tamin Lipsey (3) 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. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images | Jeff Le-Imagn Images

I believe that Mark Pope has done a good job of adding depth pieces and secondary star players to this Kentucky roster, but the Wildcats need their star player. Zoom Diallo, Alex Wilkins, and Malachi Moreno will be the secondary stars for the Wildcats, while guys like Justin McBride and Jerone Morton are really solid depth pieces.

Kentucky has missed on some of their top targets in the portal, so Kentucky fans are somewhat frustrated with the way this offseason has gone, but with the right star player, the Wildcats could be good. The player that Big Blue Nation really wants Coach Pope to land is Iowa State transfer Milan Momcilovic. Obviously, Momcilovic is currently in the NBA Draft, but there is a world where he could pull out and come back to college.

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

Some believe that Momcilovic is going to stay in the NBA Draft, but if he does pull out, Kentucky has been dubbed a school to watch. This year for the Cyclones, Momcilovic averaged 16.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and one assist per game for ISU.

The number that stands out with Momcilovic is his three-point percentage. This year for the Cyclones, he shot 48.7% from deep, and this was on 7.5 threes per game. He was the best shooter in all of college basketball last season, and this would make him a perfect fit for Pope’s system.

It sounds like Momcilovic really wants to stay in the draft, but if his stock is not where he wants it to be, he will pull out of the draft. Momcilovic does have a no-contact tag, which means his camp has to reach out to the schools where he wants to transfer if he does come back to college.

Hopefully, Momcilovic has some interest in playing for the Wildcats because he is the perfect player to come in and be the star player for Pope’s Wildcats. When Kentucky took on the Cyclones in the Round of 32 last year, Momcilovic had 20 points while going 4-9 from three.

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

It seems like the chance Kentucky lands Momcilovic has to be less than 20%, but if the Wildcats are able to land him, he would be a perfect star player for the Pope system. This is a name to watch over the next few weeks as Pope still looks for his star player.

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