Kentucky Basketball made headline news on Monday night when it landed a commitment from Iowa State’s Milan Momcilovic, the No. 2 overall player in 247Sports’ portal player rankings. Momcilovic was a player that the Wildcats went all in for and reportedly paid a hefty price tag to get, but it’s a huge move for Mark Pope’s roster after striking out a few times in the offseason.
Tennessee fans should be somewhat familiar with Momcilovic. The Vols played the Cyclones during the Sweet 16 this past March, winning the game by a score of 76-62 to advance to the Elite Eight. Tennessee held Momcilovic, one of the best shooters in the nation, to just six points on 2/9 shooting and 2/7 from the three-point line.
The addition of the five-star prospect shot Kentucky up the team transfer rankings, landing the Wildcats at the No. 2 spot on 247Sports’ list. The jump up moved Tennessee down to No. 3 in the rankings.
Kentucky now outranks Tennessee by the slimmest of margins. The Wildcats’ class has a point total of 29.19, while the Vols’ class has a point total of 29.15. Both programs trail Louisville at the No. 1 spot, which has a 29.72 point total.
Kentucky now has one five-star commit, three four-star commits, and two three-star commits. Tennessee, meanwhile, has six four-star commits and one three-star commit.
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Tennessee Basketball’s eight-man transfer portal class was constructed to give the Vols an offensive identity that hasn’t been seen in a while on Rocky Top. As ESPN’s Jeff Borzello put it, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Vols’ offensive and defensive efficiency ratings flip-flop from where they were last season. Rick Barnes constructed his unit with the hopes of finally breaking through to the Final Four after three straight trips to the Elite Eight.
“We wanted to be more lethal,” Barnes said on The RTI Low-Down.
Borzello released his way-too-early power rankings this week, with Tennessee landing as the No. 6 team in the country. Kentucky’s addition of Momcilovic vaulted the Wildcats up to No. 17 after previously being unranked.
“Momcilovic’s commitment dramatically changes the Wildcats’ 2026-2027 outlook, giving them the best shooter in the country and a legitimate focal point on offense,” Borzello writes.
Still, though, not every analyst believes that this is the perfect move for Kentucky.
“Milian Momcilovic is a very good basketball player,” CBB analyst Matthew Winick posted to X. “But Kentucky’s roster just doesn’t fit and is very very expensive. It’s just a collection of all the players that were able to lure to Lexington. I have a feeling this season will still not go the way Wildcats fans want.”
One Response
That’s not true they have two elite guards that will play great together and several shot makers at wing position. One of the best young big men in country along with a bruiser at back up. This unit is really underrated!!