Milan Momcilovic is already giving the SEC something to think about.
CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein included the Kentucky transfer on his All-SEC Preseason First-Team on July 1, 2026, and Momcilovic landed at the four spot in a group of five projected standouts from the conference. He was the only newcomer on the list, which makes the recognition stand out even more, even if it is only a preseason projection.
For Mark Pope, that kind of attention lines up with the plan. Kentucky brought Momcilovic in to be the centerpiece, the player who can drive a three-point-heavy offense and set the tone for what this version of the Wildcats wants to be. No. 22 is expected to be the headliner, and if he performs the way Kentucky believes he can, the rest of the SEC will have to adjust quickly.
That shift matters because the Wildcats weren’t exactly commanding respect last season. Kentucky went 14 losses deep in the 2025-26 campaign, with injuries piling up and stretches where players simply didn’t look like they wanted to be out there. That season marked a clear step back for the Pope era, but the roster has since been reshaped into something that looks far more dangerous on paper.
Momcilovic fits that makeover perfectly. The five-star forward is stepping into a lineup that was built around his skill set, and he’s replacing the scoring role that Tyran Stokes was initially expected to fill. In Kentucky’s case, the bet is simple: find the best possible shooter, put him at the center of the operation, and let the offense run through him.
That won’t leave opponents with just one problem to solve. SEC defenses will also have to deal with Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins in the backcourt, along with one of the more experienced secondary rotations in Power 5 college hoops. That combination could get tricky in a hurry.
The key, though, is Momcilovic’s shot. He hit 48.7% from three last season, and Pope wants that volume to climb all the way to 10 attempts per game. If Momcilovic is knocking down four or five threes a night, Kentucky becomes a brutal matchup almost anywhere on the schedule, assuming the rest of the roster delivers even close to expectations.
That’s how the Wildcats can become one of the fastest risers in the league, and why Momcilovic’s early preseason honor feels like more than just a nice line on a list. It’s a signal that Kentucky may be back in the SEC conversation sooner than a lot of people expected.
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