Last season left a deep scar on Kentucky Basketball. The Wildcats poured major resources into supporting Mark Pope in his second year, but the campaign ended in disappointment with 14 losses and a program-worst ninth-place finish in the SEC. The low point came in the NCAA Tournament, where Iowa State crushed Kentucky by 19 points in the Round of 32.
Now, Pope is working overtime to rebuild the roster, and one of his biggest targets is Milan Momcilovic — the same player who torched Kentucky for 20 points in that painful tournament defeat.
After the game, Iowa State’s Nate Heise took a subtle shot at the Wildcats, saying, “When you get them to that point, it’s like, ‘Let’s just be done.’ I think that’s their mindset.” That comment hardly sounds encouraging for Kentucky as it tries to recruit Momcilovic.
Pope Fighting to Flip the Narrative
The challenge for Pope is obvious: convincing a player who helped expose Kentucky’s weaknesses to now buy into his vision. Still, the Wildcats remain firmly in the mix for Momcilovic.
The competition, however, is fierce — and expensive. Louisville and head coach Pat Kelsey are also heavily pursuing the standout forward after aggressively rebuilding their roster this offseason. If Kelsey manages to steal Momcilovic away from Kentucky, especially with both rivals battling head-to-head, it could become Pope’s toughest recruiting loss yet. Losing him to Louisville would only intensify the pressure surrounding the Wildcats program.
Time Is Running Out
Louisville already owns the nation’s top-ranked transfer portal class according to 247Sports, and adding Momcilovic could instantly elevate the Cardinals into serious national title contention. Meanwhile, Kentucky desperately needs more star power after missing out on top recruit Tyran Stokes.
Despite the setbacks, there’s still belief in Pope’s system — including from Momcilovic himself. Speaking to the Lexington Herald-Leader, he praised Pope’s style from their Big 12 matchups against BYU.
“I loved how his team played,” Momcilovic said. “They push the pace and shoot a lot of threes.”
He also hinted that Kentucky lacked the shooters necessary for Pope to fully implement his offense last season, adding, “I really like the way they play.”
The vision is clearly there. Now Kentucky’s challenge is making sure Momcilovic believes enough in that future to commit.
