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'Hope is now on its way': National Media Reactions to Kentucky landing Milan Momcilovic

Tyler-Thompsonby: Tyler Thompson06/03/26MrsTylerKSR

The news that Milan Momcilovic is coming to Kentucky is the talk of college basketball today. The Cats have climbed into the Top 25 of many pundits’ preseason rankings, proof of the impact Momcilovic, the nation’s best three-point shooter, can have on Kentucky’s roster. It’s such a big addition that Matt Norlander, the first national media member to give Kentucky the edge in Momcilovic’s recruitment, said it could save Mark Pope’s offseason and, potentially, his job at Kentucky.

“There is no sugar-coating just how important this decision was for Mark Pope,” Norlander wrote in a column on CBS Sports. “The third-year Kentucky coach has been battling a PR problem with a decent portion of Big Blue Nation after a string of recruiting misses led to some understandable anxiety amongst many Kentucky supporters, if not the staff as well.”

Norlander then detailed Kentucky’s rocky offseason, which finally turned for the better last week when Malachi Moreno announced he was returning to Kentucky after testing the NBA Draft waters. Eight days later came the news that Momcilovic will join him in Lexington, filling some big holes in the roster, and, just as importantly, proving that Pope can land a big fish after missing out on so many.

“It was crucial for Pope to deliver some hope, and that hope is now on its way to UK in the form of a small forward who had a 136.9 offensive rating last season, good for 10th-best in college basketball,” Norlander wrote. “Momcilovic finally gives some credence to Kentucky’s claim for preseason Top 25 status. In fact, his pledge bookends a vital eight-day span that has altered Kentucky’s outlook so much for the better in 2026-27. The first hit of good news came May 24, when UK big Malachi Moreno announced he would return after experimenting with leaving for the NBA following a promising pre-draft process. Moreno’s decision was no shocker, but his exploration led to, at the very least, some extended uncertainty. Moreno coming back was vital to Kentucky’s prospects next season.

“Even with him back in the fold, Pope still needed one more good player to bolster a roster that could compete for top-five status in a stacked SEC. Momcilovic moves that needle.”

Norlander said he’s hearing Momcilovic will make somewhere around $6 million to play at Kentucky next season, adding on the “Eye on College Basketball” podcast that the program will spend over $20 million on the roster again; however, unlike last year, they won’t be alone. Norlander estimated that at least ten schools have spent $20+ million on their rosters this offseason, including Louisville. With Momcilovic picking the Cats over the Cards, a nightmare scenario was avoided.

“That was the other part of this that I thought was just so huge,” Norlander said. “If Mark Pope had lost out on Momcilovic, who picked Louisville instead, one, Louisville, I think, would have had a top-five roster. I don’t think you could make much of a case against it if you add him to what they already have. So it would have been that, and another high-profile whiff, and it would have been utter calamity and chaos in Lexington going into next season. They avoid that altogether, and now it’s a bright, shiny day down there in that part of the state, and good on Pope for getting it done.”

Norlander’s podcast cohost Gary Parrish did not have Kentucky in his preseason Top 25 and 1 before Momcilovic’s commitment. He said that today, he’ll probably put the Cats somewhere in the 10-20 range.

“At the end of the day, they did what they needed to do to get themselves in a place to get that program back to where it needs to be so that you can ensure they’re not making a coaching change next March,” Parrish said. “They’re in a good place now. It’s not the best roster in the country, but it’s a good enough roster to calm your fanbase down and give you a shot to reasonably think you can compete at or near the top of the SEC. And if you’re competing at or near the top of the SEC, you’re competing for a national championship.”

Take advantage of our KSR+ SUMMER SALE to get bonus coverage of the Cats, including the latest intel on Kentucky’s pursuit of Milan Momcilovic, football and basketball recruiting, and the search for a new Athletic Director — plus a year of access to The Athletic. Annual subscriptions are 50% off for a limited time.

“I think they could be a Sweet 16 team”

The Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman and Rob Dauster went live after the news broke to rave about the addition, Momcilovic’s fit in Lexington, and a much-needed PR win for Mark Pope.

“I know that sounds crazy, but I don’t think it is,” Goodman said of Momcilovic potentially saving Pope’s job at Kentucky. “I don’t think it’s that crazy, because I think year three is a pivotal year for Mark Pope in his future in Lexington, and I think with Milan Momcilovic, you add not only maybe the best shooter in the country to a team that sorely needs shooting, but you’re adding a winner, you’re adding a culture guy, you’re adding a guy that helped build that Iowa State program into one that frankly we regarded as one of the best culture teams and overachieving programs over the last few years, and this is a kid that’s all about the right things. He’s all about winning, we’ve been around him plenty, the highest of high character guys, that’s where you start with Mark Pope.”

Goodman and Dauster went live again this morning and agreed that Kentucky probably isn’t a title contender, but should at least make the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.

“I think they could be a Sweet 16 team, I think they’re a top 20-ish team,” Goodman said. “You put them 15 to 20, I think, in the preseason rankings right now, and I think so much of it is going to depend on how they play, too. Like, they better get out and run. I think that’s their best bet right now.”

Dauster agreed, saying that Kentucky is now among the second tier of teams in the SEC, below Florida and Tennessee, with very high upside if everything goes according to plan. Better yet, he doesn’t think things will fall apart with this roster like they did last season.

“I would compare Kentucky now to North Carolina, where Kentucky has enough weapons on this roster, they’re going to be able to beat some people. And outside of maybe Florida and Tennessee, there’s nobody obviously better than them [in the SEC].”

“And if some things go the right way, what if Alex Wilkins has a breakout sophomore year where everything clicks, and what happens if Zoom Diallo works perfectly next to Alex Wilkins, Malachi Moreno ends up being a top-three center in the country. All of these things are possible, by the way, and you combine it with Momcilovic, Kam Williams, Ousmane N’Diaye, Justin McBride, and Braydon Hawthorne gives you all sorts of different looks.

“If all of those things work out, there is a very real ceiling there. And I also think that because of the two pieces they brought in, the floor is pretty high. I don’t see the bottom falling out of this thing unless it’s a similar situation to last year, where it was a mental thing last year with the Gonzaga game and the Michigan State game. I don’t see that happening with this group.”

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2026-06-05