Kembali
Milan Momcilovic played three years at Iowa State and likely would've finished his career there in any other era of college basketball. But in this era, there's lots of money to be made.
Millions on top of millions.
So, in a possible make-or-break season for its third-year coach, Kentucky decided to make a big offer to Momcilovic this past offseason. Understandably, the 2026 All-Big 12 performer accepted it -- reportedly at the rate of around $6 million. Huge price, obviously. But on Tuesday night, in an 85-57 victory over Manhattan, it sure looked like money well spent.
Momcilovic took 12 shots, made eight of them and finished with 24 points and five rebounds in his UK debut. The 6-foot-9 forward was 6-of-9 from beyond the arc in a reminder that he really might be the best shooter in the nation at this level, particularly when considering that Momcilovic shot 48.7% from 3-point range on 7.5 attempts per contest last season while helping Iowa State make what was a second Sweet 16 appearance in a three-year span.
"I would like him to take 15 [3-pointers per game], if we can get him there," Kentucky coach Mark Pope said following his third straight season-opening victory with the Wildcats.
Can't wait to watch Kentucky try to get Momcilovic there. A double-digit number of attempts per game, at least, seems like a sensible goal considering, after Tuesday's performance, Momcilovic is now shooting 49.3% from 3-point range in his past 38 contests -- 37 last season at Iowa State, one so far at UK.
Kentucky remains No. 20 in Wednesday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. The Wildcats are one of eight SEC schools in the Top 25 And 1 -- along with No. 1 Florida, No. 6 Texas, No. 10 Arkansas, No. 16 Tennessee, No. 21 Alabama, No. 23 Missouri and No. 25 Vanderbilt. No other conference has more than six teams in these rankings.
Rk |
Teams |
Chg |
Rcrd |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida | Thomas Haugh finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds in Monday's 77-67 win over Miami. The Gators' next game is Thursday against Jacksonville. | -- | 1-0 |
| 2 | Duke | Dame Sarr finished with 16 points and four rebounds in Monday's 84-50 win over Army. The Blue Devils' next game is Thursday at Coastal Carolina. | -- | 1-0 |
| 3 | Illinois | Andrej Stojakovic finished with 20 points and seven rebounds in Monday's 120-45 win over Fairleigh Dickinson. The Illini's next game is Thursday against Penn. | -- | 1-0 |
| 4 | UConn | Braylon Mullins finished with 20 points and two steals in Monday's 86-46 win over Gardner-Webb. The Huskies' next game is Friday against Michigan. | -- | 1-0 |
| 5 | Kansas | Tre White finished with 22 points and five rebounds in Monday's 95-65 win over Fordham. The Jayhawks' next game is Friday against Middle Tennessee. | -- | 1-0 |
| 6 | Texas | Matas Vokietaitis finished with 22 points and six rebounds in Monday's 109-59 win over Chicago State. The Longhorns' next game is Thursday against Gardner Webb. | -- | 1-0 |
| 7 | Michigan St. | Jeremy Fears Jr. finished with 13 points and 11 assists in Monday's 96-59 win over Quinnipiac. The Spartans' next game is Thursday against Toledo. | -- | 1-0 |
| 8 | Louisville | Flory Bidunga finished with 16 points and nine rebounds in Monday's 84-70 win over Chattanooga. The Cardinals' next game is Saturday against Morehead State. | -- | 1-0 |
| 9 | Virginia | Sam Lewis finished with 20 points and three assists in Tuesday's 89-60 win over Drexel. The Cavaliers' next game is Friday against Northeastern. | -- | 1-0 |
| 10 | Arkansas | Jeremiah Wilkinson finished with 23 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 106-61 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The Razorbacks' next game is Sunday against Virginia. | -- | 1-0 |
| 11 | Gonzaga | Davis Fogle finished with 22 points and five rebounds in Monday's 78-72 win over Purdue. The Zags' next game is Saturday against New Mexico State. | -- | 1-0 |
| 12 | St. John's | Keyshawn Hall finished with 26 points and nine rebounds in Monday's 78-63 win over Monmouth. The Red Storm's next game is Sunday against Iona. | -- | 1-0 |
| 13 | Houston | Dedan Thomas Jr. finished with 16 points and five assists in Monday's 94-55 win over La Salle. The Cougars' next game is Sunday against Cal. | -- | 1-0 |
| 14 | UCLA | Trent Perry finished with 21 points and five assists in Monday's 84-75 win over Arizona. The Bruins' next game is Friday against North Florida. | -- | 1-0 |
| 15 | Arizona | Derek Dixon missed 12 of the 17 shots he attempted in Monday's 84-75 loss to UCLA. The Wildcats' next game is Thursday against Cal Poly. | -- | 0-1 |
| 16 | Tennessee | DeWayne Brown II finished with 17 points and 17 rebounds in Tuesday's 90-59 win over Wofford. The Vols' next game is Monday against Radford. | -- | 1-0 |
| 17 | Texas Tech | Cruz Davis finished with 15 points and six rebounds in Monday's 76-42 win over Jackson State. The Red Raiders' next game is Thursday against Bethune Cookman. | -- | 1-0 |
| 18 | Michigan | Trey McKenney finished with 17 points and four rebounds in Monday's 84-68 win over Oakland. The Wolverines' next game is Friday against UConn. | -- | 1-0 |
| 19 | Miami | Shelton Henderson missed 11 of the 13 shots he attempted in Monday's 77-67 loss to Florida. The Hurricanes' next game is Friday against Wagner. | -- | 0-1 |
| 20 | Kentucky | Milan Momcilovic finished with 24 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 85-57 win over Manhattan. The Wildcats' next game is Friday against James Madison. | -- | 1-0 |
| 21 | Alabama | Drew Fielder finished with 15 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 96-74 win over Sam Houston. The Crimson Tide's next game is Friday against Arkansas State. | -- | 1-0 |
| 22 | USC | Adonis Ratliff finished with 25 points and six rebounds in Monday's 95-63 win over Milwaukee. The Trojans' next game is Sunday against Wichita State. | -- | 1-0 |
| 23 | Missouri | Jason Crowe Jr. finished with 23 points and two assists in Tuesday's 111-50 win over Cleveland State. The Tigers' next game is Friday against Saint Louis. | -- | 1-0 |
| 24 | BYU | Robert Wright III finished with 33 points and five assists in Monday's 94-83 win over Ohio State. The Cougar' next game is Friday against Nebraska Omaha. | -- | 1-0 |
| 25 | Vanderbilt | Tyler Tanner finished with 20 points and six assists in Monday's 93-47 win over Bellarmine. The Commodores' next game is Thursday against Wake Forest. | -- | 1-0 |
| 26 | Purdue | Omer Mayer missed nine of the 11 shots he attempted in Monday's 78-72 loss to Gonzaga. The Boilermakers' next game is Friday against Valparaiso. | -- | 0-1 |