Milan Momcilovic Among Naismith Player of the Year Candidates
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky men’s basketball forward Milan Momcilovic continued his run of preseason watch list recognitions with his selection to the 2026-27 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy Men’s College Player of the Year Watch List on Monday.
A total of 50 players across the country were recognized in the announcement from the Atlanta Tipoff Club, including 15 players from the Southeastern Conference.
Widely considered one of the top transfers of the offseason, Momcilovic arrives in Lexington coming off a stellar junior year at Iowa State. The 6-foot-9 forward led the country in both total 3-pointers made (136) and 3-point field goal percentage (48.7%) on his way to averaging a career-high 16.9 points per game. Momcilovic was a Second Team All-Big 12 and Big 12 All-Tournament Team selection, helping the Cyclones to a 29-8 overall record and a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Last season, Momcilovic scored in double figures 29 times, including 14 games with 20 or more points. His 136 made 3s ranked second all-time in Big 12 single-season history, while also setting an Iowa State program record. During his three years in Ames, Momcilovic connected on 260 3-pointers in total, ranking him tied for the second-most in program history. For his career, Momcilovic has made 101 starts and appeared in 102 contests while averaging 13.2 points per game along with 3.2 rebounds. He is a career 42.9% shooter from beyond the arc.
In UK’s three exhibition games this season, Momcilovic led the team with an average of 16.7 points per game. The native of Pewaukee, Wisconsin went 9-of-20 (.450) from 3-point range and 15-of-31 (.484) from the field overall. Momcilovic has also averaged 5.7 rebounds per game and is a perfect 11-of-11 from the foul line.
Preseason honors have continued to roll in for Momcilovic ahead of the 2026-27 campaign. He has been named a preseason All-American by various outlets, including CBS Sports, 247 Sports and Sports Illustrated, as well as selected to the preseason watch list for the Julius Erving Award and the National Association of Basketball Coaches Player of the Year award. Momcilovic was also named a preseason All-SEC selection by both the coaches and media.
Kentucky will open the regular season on Nov. 3 against Manhattan. Tip time is set for 7 p.m. inside Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center, with the game airing on SEC Network+.
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