You can criticize Mark Pope for plenty of things this offseason — and Big Blue Nation certainly has — but college basketball can change fast when one marquee addition falls into place. With Tyran Stokes no longer in the picture, Kentucky doesn’t need multiple fixes. It just needs one comparable star to significantly raise the outlook for next season.
The Iowa State forward is already very familiar to Kentucky fans. He torched the Wildcats in the Round of 32 of this year’s NCAA Tournament, and once the transfer portal opened, his name immediately became a popular rallying cry among the fan base. Since then, the buzz hasn’t slowed.
According to Jacob Polacheck, Kentucky has now taken a concrete step, hosting Momcilovic for a Zoom meeting as he navigates both the transfer portal and the NBA Draft evaluation process. While he continues to test professional waters, the Wildcats appear to be firmly positioned as one of the programs ready to strike should he opt to return to college basketball.
Why Momcilovic Fits the Bill
During his junior season with the Cyclones, Momcilovic averaged 17 points per game and knocked down an elite 48.7 percent of his shots from beyond the arc. He’s a scorer first and foremost — and that’s exactly what Kentucky is missing. Plugging a proven shot-maker like him into a lineup that already has structure and balance could dramatically elevate the offense.
The main obstacle, however, is Momcilovic’s clear focus on the NBA. His pursuit of a draft spot has limited communication with interested schools, including Kentucky, and remains the biggest variable in this recruitment.
Still, heading into what would be his senior year, Momcilovic profiles as a ready-made go-to option for any high-major program. Mock drafts currently peg him in the middle to late second round, but a return to college — especially in Lexington — could provide the stage needed to push his stock into first-round territory.
A Player You Go Get
Momcilovic checks every box as a classic “go get it done” player. For a coach in Pope’s position, landing a piece like this feels less optional and more essential.
That might sound like wishful thinking from a Kentucky fan eager to see a true scorer added to an almost-complete roster — but it’s not hard to see the logic. Momcilovic looks tailor-made for a fast-paced, aggressive Pope offense, and with Kentucky likely holding onto unused NIL resources after missing on Stokes, the Wildcats have both the motivation and the means to make a serious push.
If there’s one move that could flip the narrative of this offseason, this might be it.