Iowa State star forward Milan Momcilovic will return from missing nearly a month with a hand injury to play for the No. 8 Cyclones against TCU on Saturday, coach TJ Otzelberger told ESPN.
Momcilovic, a 6-foot-8 sophomore, has been out since a January 11th win at Texas Tech, as the injury occurred in practice after that game.
Otzelberger said Momcilovic told the staff he “feels great and is excited to return.” Momcilovic gives the Cyclones a huge boost offensively, averaging 10.3 points per game and shoots a team-high 44.3% on 3-pointers.
Momcilovic’s return is earlier than expected. He was initially expected back in one week against Cincinnati. But he’s returned to practice the last two days for Iowa State and acclimated well.
Iowa State’s offense has struggled at times without Momcilovic to help spread the floor, as they’ve lost three consecutive games and averaged just 61.3 points in regulation in those losses.
Momcilovic is a key cog in Iowa State’s rotation. The Cyclones were 14-1 with him in the lineup. They’ve gone 3-3 since he was injured, including three straight losses.
Iowa State will now face four-consecutive unranked teams as they look to right the ship. The Cyclones host TCU, travel to UCF, and host both Cincinnati and Colorado in the next four contests. That’s followed by a trip to No. 5 Houston on Feb. 22.
Iowa State has been ranked as high as No. 2 in the country this season, which they reached at 14-1. They’ve since slipped to No. 8.
As a freshman in 2023-24, Momcilovic earned Big 12 All-Freshman team honors. He averaged 10.9 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. He was the No. 51-rated recruit in the country per ESPN’s rankings when he arrived at Iowa State
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