Kentucky scores massive transfer portal win with former Iowa State sharpshooter

The Kentucky Wildcats added the top remaining men's college basketball player in the transfer portal on Monday, landing former Iowa State Cyclones sharpshooter Milan Momcilovic.  It's a major get for beleaguered coach Mark Pope, who is coming off a disappointing second season at Kentucky, which ended in a second-round NCAA Tournament loss to Momcilovic's former team. The 6-foot-8 senior forward scored 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting for Iowa State in the 82-63 win, and he'll now be tasked with helping Pope's squad break through in Year 3 under his command. Per 247Sports, Momcilovic is the No. 2 overall transfer portal prospect and best available entering Monday. Last season, the 2025-26 All-Big Ten selection averaged 16.9 points on 50.6 percent shooting, including a Division I best 48.7 percent from beyond the arc on 7.5 three-point attempts per game. He joins a Kentucky team coming off a 22-14 record and seventh-place SEC finish. Leading scorer Otega Oweh is headed for the NBA Draft, while the team's second-leading scorer, Denzel Aberdeen, transferred back to the Florida Gators, who he played for from 2022-25. The Wildcats also lost starting guard Collin Chandler and forward Mouhamed Dioubate — players who ranked third and fourth in scoring — to the transfer portal. Momcilovic represents Pope's biggest transfer portal signing since becoming Kentucky head coach. It's been an active period entering a pivotal third season that could have ramifications on his future with the program. He found a pair of potential starters from mid-majors, adding guard Alex Wilkins, who averaged 17.8 points and 4.7 assists last season at Furman, and former Old Dominion forward Justin McBride, a 6-foot-8 40 percent shooter from deep who averaged 15.3 points per game. Kentucky also raided the northwest, adding guard Jerone Morton, a Kentucky native who shot 38.8 percent from deep last season with the Washington State Cougars. The Wildcats signed guard Zoom Diallo after averaging 15.7 points and 4.5 assists at Washington, along with his teammate Franck Kepnang. Those moves provided Kentucky valuable scoring and ball-handling options, but none move the needle like Momcilovic, who CBS college basketball insider Jon Rothstein noted gives the Wildcats "major promise" heading into 2026-27. Mark Pope did an excellent job in his first year at Kentucky when the Wildcats advanced to the Sweet 16.His second year was an incomplete after season-ending injuries to both Jaland Lowe & Jayden Quaintance. His third year now has major promise after adding Milan Momcilovic. https://t.co/9A9YZUL4Gn As much as Momcilovic will help the Wildcats on the court, he may also cool Pope's hot seat. Late last week, college hoops insider Jeff Goodman raised the stakes for Kentucky to land Momcilovic, who also reportedly fielded offers from the Arizona Wildcats and Louisville Cardinals, saying, "He might be the guy that ultimately decides whether or not Mark Pope is the coach in Lexington a year from now." Momcilovic raises Kentucky's ceiling in 2026-27, giving it an elite scoring presence with substantial power conference experience. He checks all the boxes of what a team should want from a transfer-portal signing, and it's the Wildcats who will reap the rewards. Eric Smithling is a writer based in New Orleans, LA, whose byline also appears on Athlon Sports. He has been with Yardbarker since September 2022, primarily covering the NFL and college football, but also the NBA, WNBA, men’s and women’s college basketball, NHL, tennis and golf. He holds a film studies degree from the University of New Orleans Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!