Duke fans had plenty of reasons to keep an eye on Milan Momcilovic's recruitment over the last few months. There was some early interest from the Blue Devils in the process before that focus eventually shifted elsewhere. Even after Duke moved on, another ACC program emerged late in his decision-making process, with Louisville entering the picture for the former Iowa State sharpshooter.
Louisville already looked like a potential threat to Duke's position at the top of the ACC heading into next season, but adding Momcilovic would have taken that up another level. Luckily for the Blue Devils - and the rest of the ACC - that potential nightmare is now off the table, as Momcilovic announced his commitment to Kentucky.
Momcilovic miss keeps Louisville from becoming even more dangerous
The Cardinals were already putting together one of the more impressive offseasons in college basketball before Momcilovic's name entered the picture. Pat Kelsey landed former Oregon guard Jackson Shelstad and secured a commitment from Flory Bidunga, one of the most coveted players available in the Transfer Portal.
Adding Momcilovic to that group would've made Louisville even more dangerous heading into next season. After shooting an unreal 48.7% from deep last season at Iowa State, the former Cyclone would've given the Cardinals a piece that would fit perfectly alongside Bidunga. Instead, Louisville struck out on its biggest remaining target.
Kelsey's squad will still enter next season with high expectations, but missing out on Momcilovic is undoubtedly a tough blow. However, for the Blue Devils, the outcome could not have worked out much better. While Duke should enter next season as the team to beat in the ACC, and arguably the entire country, Kentucky keeping Momcilovic out of the conference should be music to Jon Scheyer's ears.
With Duke's offseason already seemingly going as well as it could, this is just another outcome Blue Devils fans will be more than happy with.
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