x
Louisville Reportedly Closes Gap on Kentucky With Milan Momcilovic Offer
Mar 21, 2026; Buffalo, NY, USA; Louisville Cardinals mascot Louie looks on during the first half against the Michigan State Spartans during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Keybank Center. Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Iowa State Cyclones fans are certainly going to be disappointed that Milan Momcilovic isn’t returning to Ames for his senior year.

However, they can take some solace in the fact that the Arizona Wildcats may be falling behind in the race for him. Their Big 12 rivals are viewed as a wild card, according to Matt Jones of KY Sports Radio, whose sources have no idea what idea what is being offered or how close they are to the other two teams in the race, the Kentucky Wildcats and Louisville Cardinals.

It was reported by Jones that those two teams had made their final offers to Momcilovic sometime on May 30th. It was believed that Kentucky was offering more money, but both offers were being weighed.

In an update, it turns out the gap between what the Wildcats and Cardinals are offering may not be as big as originally believed. Louisville reportedly upped its offer, making an aggressive push to secure a commitment from the former Iowa State sharpshooter.

Louisville reportedly upped offer to Milan Momcilovic

Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

On the KSR+ Message Board, Jones revealed that the difference in offers from the Cardinals and Kentucky is now less than $1 million. If that is the case, it certainly complicates things for the Wildcats, who may be offering more money, but may fall short in some of the other things that Momcilovic desires.

He has stated numerous times that money isn’t his No. 1 priority. He is putting an emphasis on fit and being able to compete and win. Based on the current state of each roster, Louisville would seem to provide him a better chance at winning during his senior year.

The ACC isn’t the gauntlet that the SEC is, and the Cardinals loaded up on talent in the transfer portal to make a push this upcoming season. Pat Kelsey isn’t short on talent despite losing so many key contributors from last season.

Highlighting his transfer portal haul are Flory Bidunga, formerly of the Kansas Jayhawks, Jackson Shelstad, formerly of the Oregon Ducks, Karter Knox, formerly of the Arkansas Razorbacks and Alvaro Folguieras, who made the Elite Eight with the Iowa Hawkeyes.

That is a lot of talent and mouths to feed, but Louisville knows that Momcilovic could be the last piece to helping put the team over the top. He would provide them with explosive scoring ability on the wing and lengthen their rotation even more.

It will be interesting to see how things unfold, as the Cyclones' single-season record holder for 3-pointers made should announce his decision soon.


This article first appeared on Iowa State Cyclones on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!