Mark Pope’s Milan Momcilovic demand could rewrite Kentucky Basketball history

Mark Pope doesn’t want perfection from his newest weapon. He wants an absolute barrage.

We’ve all heard the quote by now, and if you haven’t, go check out Alex Frank’s awesome piece by clicking here. Pope’s vision for Milan Momcilovic is something we have never seen in Kentucky Basketball history. He wants him to take 10 3s a night.

That sounds great in a press conference. It gets everyone in Big Blue Nation fired up, because who doesn’t love the way Pitino’s Bambinos played? But what does a diet of 10 3-pointers a night from one player actually look like on a practical level?

Assuming Momcilovic stays healthy and plays all 32 games of the regular season, 10 attempts a night translate to 320 total 3-point attempts before the SEC Tournament.

To understand how absurd that is, let’s run those 320 attempts through three different shooting scenarios and see where Momcilovic would land in the hallowed Kentucky record books.

The Math: 112 makes on 320 attempts.

Let’s say Milan reverts to his freshman number and Momcilovic shoots a pedestrian 35%. For a guy who shot 48.7% last year, it would be considered a massive slump.

Yet, even hitting just 35% on that volume, Momcilovic would drain 112 3s. That would instantly become the third-greatest 3-point shooting season in Kentucky basketball history, falling just five makes shy of Jodie Meeks’ legendary 2008-09 campaign, and one short of Jamal Murray’s lone year in Lexington.

A “bad” shooting year at this volume still makes him a historic weapon.

The Math: 128 makes on 320 attempts.

This is likely exactly what Pope has in mind when he told Momcilovic he wants the percentage to drop in exchange for volume. A 40% clip on double-digit attempts is elite offensive efficiency.

At 40%, Momcilovic would hit 128 3s. He would stand alone on the mountain top, and he’d do it before the postseason even begins. This scenario transforms Kentucky’s offense, bending SEC defenses to the breaking point as they try to chase a 6-foot-8 forward off the line.

The Math: 154 makes on 320 attempts.

What if Pope’s system gets him just as open as he was in Ames, and Momcilovic nails the same percentage as last year?

He would connect on 154 3s.

That number would put him seven behind Curry’s all-time men’s mark before the postseason. He would trail Caitlin Clark by nearly 50; that shows how dominant she was at Iowa.

To truly get a grip on what it would look like from a Kentucky basketball history perspective, look at where Momcilovic’s projected 320 attempts and resulting makes would stack up against the all-time single-season leaders in Lexington.

Nobody in blue and white has ever eclipsed the 120-mark. A 40% season from Momcilovic (128 makes) puts him alone at the top.

1. Jodie Meeks (2008-09): 117
2. Jamal Murray (2015-16): 113
3. Malik Monk (2016-17): 104
4. Travis Ford (1992-93): 101
5. Derrick Miller (1989-90): 99

Derrick Miller has held this volume record for over three decades. Momcilovic’s mandated 320 attempts would blow past it by more than 20 shots.

1. Derrick Miller (1989-90): 298
2. Jodie Meeks (2008-09): 288
3. Jamal Murray (2015-16): 277
4. Malik Monk (2016-17): 262
5. Tony Delk (1993-94): 254

If Momcilovic somehow maintains his 48% clip on 320 attempts, he’d slide right into the top three all-time for accuracy, trailing only two of the purest shooters to ever lace them up for UK.

1. Travis Ford (1992-93): 52.9%
2. Reed Sheppard (2023-24): 52.1%
3. Doron Lamb (2010-11): 48.6%
4. Doron Lamb (2011-12): 46.6%
5. Antonio Reeves (2023-24): 44.7%

All stats courtesy of WildcatWorld.

Mark Pope is placing a massive bet on Momcilovic’s arm. He isn’t asking him to be a complementary piece; he is asking him to be the engine of a basketball-crazed Lexington. If Momcilovic actually gets 10 shots up a night, the record books won’t just be rewritten; they’ll be torn to shreds.

Now, the question becomes what kind of sets will Pope run to get him open, because no one in the country is going to let him get off 10 3s a night easily.