Milan Momcilovic shines in Kentucky Wildcats debut

Milan Momcilovic was one of the most sought-after transfers in the country after one of the greatest shooting seasons in college basketball history.

He first left Iowa State to enter the NCAA transfer portal, then withdrew from the 2026 NBA draft. After that, the recruitment really began, with many programs making Momcilovic a late-portal priority and willing to pay him what he’s worth. 

Momcilovic ultimately chose the Kentucky Wildcats and has repeatedly said Mark Pope’s system played a huge role in his recruitment and his decision to be a Wildcat.

Now, exhibition season is underway, and Kentucky started with a 69-49 win over a Little Rock program led by former Wildcat standout Travis Ford. We also got to see Momcilovic in a Kentucky jersey in live action for the first time.

Momcilovic got started where he left off, to say the least. He would score the first points of the 2026-27 Kentucky Basketball season with a fadeaway mid-range shot. jumper. He finished with 16 points on 4/7 from deep and 7 rebounds. 

He delivered some highlights only he could deliver, creating some must-see moments in his debut that got Kentucky fans out of their seats. He brought one highlight: he stole it, dribbled up, went behind the back, and nailed a triple from the top of the key. 

After the game, Momcilovic sat down for an interview with Ravi Moss and Andrew Kappes, recapping the night, and he said, “I was looking for my first double-double today, but I fell a little short — I’ll take seven rebounds, though.”

“I feel like it was a good debut,” he added. “Definitely a little rusty on offense. It wasn’t our best performance. We’ll learn from it. That’s why it’s a scrimmage,” Momcilovic said. 

After taking ‘just’ seven 3-point attempts, Momcilovic said the goal is to hit double-digit attempts each game.

“The goal is to shoot double-digit 3s every game,” he said.

This is just the start of a special year for Momcilovic, where he will look to break Kentucky’s all-time 3-point shooting record that is currently held by Jodie Meeks with 117 made 3s. After four tonight, we may see that record get pushed once the regular season gets underway.