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Men's Basketball

Why UK needs Coach Cal to step away from the Titanic

Published

2 years ago

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John Calipari observing his team at Kentucky basketball practice at the Joe Craft Center.

I won’t spend any time talking about last night’s loss; there’s really not much to say about it. Another year, another disappointing postseason from Calipari’s Wildcats. Big Blue Nation is devastated, distraught, enraged, and ready for a change. Stealing from James Cameron’s Titanic, BBN could hear the violins playing after last night’s loss as it seemed the UK ship was sinking. Even though UK earned a 3-seed in the NCAAT, in some ways, today is a much lower point for the program than the 9-16 season. So, it begs the question, where does UK go from here? Does the University itself want to part ways from Cal? Can the University even financially afford to do so? There’s a $33 million dollar hurdle to overcome…

The Buy-out concern

As it stands today, Calipari would be owed around $33 million dollars if UK were to fire him. As successful of a national brand as UK is, the university can’t afford a $33 million buyout. If choosing to go that route though, then how much money does UK have to pay the replacement coach? The finances behind a Cal-removal is of major concern, it’s quite the burden. If UK were to part ways with Cal, they would owe him the remainder of his contract. That is $33 million, rumored to be paid across 5 years. That raises major concerns for how much UK can afford to pay the next UK coach. By the way, shoutout to AD Mitch Barnhart for putting UK in such a terrible situation with Cal’s “lifetime contract.” There’s a real chance that Cal’s impending demise will drag Barnhart through the mud as well. But I digress…

Coach Cal needs to walk away

Cal needs to walk away on his own. UK isn’t going to pay the massive buyout. I don’t see any possibility that Coach Cal sits down with Barnhart to re-structure his current contract. Cal needs to walk away. UK has paid him an INSANE amount of money in his tenure here. He owes a great deal to this university. His only national championship was here in the Bluegrass. His books, shows, foundation, his new podcast: all launched at UK. He has accomplished a great deal here, but also owes a great deal to UK and its fanbase. So, he needs to save UK the cost of the buyout. He needs to save UK the fanbase turmoil and division. He needs to save UK the financial obstacle of hiring the next UK coach. Cal’s ego be damned, he needs to walk away before his tenure at UK parallels the Titanic’s demise.

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Can Coach Cal and AD Barnhart make it work?

I fully expect Cal and Mitch to have a meeting, of sorts at least. It’s well known that Cal and Mitch don’t have a great relationship. But Mitch won’t stray away from this impending iceberg. He has to lead, has to make difficult decisions. Mitch and Cal need to have a face-to-face difficult conversation in the immediate future. But to me, the best avenue is Cal to walk away. If there’s a chance to mediate some kind of negotiated lower-buyout, perfect. But short of that, Cal owes it to the university, the fanbase, and the future of the program to walk away now.

Kentucky hasn't meet expectations the last four seasons under John Calipari. Is it time for him to go?

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Men's Basketball

Star Forward Milan Momcilovic Chooses Kentucky Over Louisville and Arizona

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1 day ago

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June 1, 2026

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Photo via AOL

The wait is over BBN!

Milan Momcilovic has officially announced that he will be playing his senior year of college basketball at Kentucky, suiting up in the blue and white for Mark Pope and the Wildcats!

The 6-foot-8 wing averaged 16.9 points per game in the 2025-26 season, leading the nation in 3-pointers made (136) and percentage from deep (48.7%).

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Momcilovic is mostly ranked as No. 2 in most portal rankings, but ESPN has the former Cyclone as the No. 1 overall player. With that being said, this technically serves as Pope’s first No. 1 transfer during his tenure at Kentucky.

Pulling his name out of the 2026 NBA Draft on Wednesday, May 27, Kentucky was seemingly the favorite to land the wing during the entire sweepstakes due to positional need, scheme fit and money available to spend. He could even play another year with the Kentucky Wildcats if the “5-in-5” rule is passed and he forgoes the draft again.

Putting Pat Kelsey in a locker and outbidding him on a recruit is always great for morale, but this fills the much-needed star spot for next year’s roster. Pope and his staff have shaped the team with plenty of skilled players, but Momcilovic adds that extra layer of shooting and will serve as the go-to guy when a game may be on the line.

This will be the final player added to the 2026-27 team, with an insert at the starting small forward position in Momcilovic’s future. Pope and the Big Blue Nation have their guy, and soon enough, we’ll see the Pewaukee, Wisconsin native on Rupp Arena’s court.

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Men's Basketball

National Reporter Matt Norlander Chooses Kentucky as Landing Spot for Star Forward Milan Momcilovic

Published

6 days ago

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May 28, 2026

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Photo via Imagn Images

The Milan Momcilovic sweepstakes is underway, with multiple teams involved in the No. 2 overall transfer player’s recruitment. It is believed that Kentucky and Louisville are the top candidates after his decision to pull out from the 2026 NBA Draft on Wednesday, May 27.

Along with the in-state rivals, Arizona and St. John’s are both very well still in the mix, but the Red Storm are slowly falling out of contention after landing Baylor’s Tounde Yessoufou.

On May 28, national reporter Matt Norlander cleared the air on CBS Sports’ Eye On College Basketball podcast, stating that he believes Kentucky will land Momcilovic by the end of the weekend or Monday.

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“My prediction right now is that Milan Momcilovic will go to Kentucky,” Norlander said. “My understanding is that decision is going to come in the next one, two, three days, four days max.”

He would go on to talk about the other top programs involved, stating why he thinks they will be working in an uphill battle in this bidding war.

“My forecast is that it’s Kentucky, but you know, we’ll see if Louisville can get in there,” he continued. “Arizona I don’t think has the money to contend, like I think Kentucky and Louisville just have more money to play with.”

For the worried members of the Big Blue Nation, this is certainly good news to be put out by one of the most trusted college basketball reporters at the national level.

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Going by this report and Adam Zagoria’s from NYT Sports, it shouldn’t be long until a commitment decision for Momcilovic is announced publicly.

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Men's Basketball

BREAKING: No. 2 Ranked Transfer Milan Momcilovic Removes Name From 2026 NBA Draft

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6 days ago

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May 27, 2026

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Kamil Krzaczynski | Imagn Images

Milan Momcilovic has officially removed his named from the 2026 NBA Draft and will return to college for his senior season.

Kentucky leads in his recruitment, followed closely by St. John’s, Louisville and Arizona. A backdoor to Iowa State is also still open.

The No. 2 ranked transfer would be a huge addition to Kentucky’s 2026-27 roster if he committed, averaging 16.9 points per game on 50.6/48.7/87.8 shooting splits last year. Funny enough, in the current world of college athletics that we live in, Momcilovic was responsible for eliminating the Wildcats from the NCAA Tournament, dropping 20 points in the Round of 32.

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He would go on to lose to Tennessee in the Sweet 16 with Iowa State, so at least we know that there’s some inner-hatred for a long-standing rival if he ends up a Wildcat.

He made the most three-point shots in Division I basketball and is a versatile 6-foot-8 wing, which would fit perfectly into Mark Pope’s offensive system. He completed workouts with the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves during the draft process.

Now, the bidding war for the top dog begins, with some of the most prestigious programs in the sport placing their bets on the star forward.

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