Basketball Notebook

Kentucky's Malachi Moreno and Milan Momcilovic were named to the Southeastern Conference men's basketball preseason teams on Monday.

Momcilovic, an Iowa State transfer, was named to the second team, and Moreno was tabbed on the third team. Moreno was named to the SEC All-Freshman team last season.

Momcilovic led the country in both total 3-pointers made (136) and 3-point field goal percentage (48.7%) on his way to averaging a career-high 16.9 points per game. Momcilovic was a Second Team All-Big 12 and Big 12 All-Tournament Team selection, helping the Cyclones to a 29-8 overall record and a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Momcilovic hasn't set any goals for the upcoming season, but wants to improve on last year's overall numbers.

"I'm just trying to be a little bit better than last year," he said. "It's going to be hard to shoot a better percentage, but I feel like I'll get more makes, maybe shoot more threes again, make more threes again, get more easy twos with the basket. That's going to open my game up a lot."

Moreno made 30 starts for the Wildcats as a freshman and averaged 7.8 points per game along with a team-best 6.3 rebounds. He was an efficient 58.2% from the field while blocking 53 shots on the defensive end, leading the team in both metrics.

In his debut collegiate season, Moreno scored in double-figures 11 times and posted three double-doubles. He also displayed his passing prowess, registering 12 games with three or more assists and averaging 1.8 assists per game for the season.

"I felt like last year I think I was a little timid, a little shy, didn't really understand my role at this point last year," he said. "I think this year I've kind of really embraced the leadership role, and I've kind of become comfortable in my game and just really trying to overall become my best self this year."

Kentucky was picked to finish seventh in the preseason poll. Florida was first, followed by Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Missouri, Auburn, Texas A&M, Georgia, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, LSU, Mississippi State and South Carolina.

Women's Basketball

The Kentucky women's basketball team was picked to finish fifth in the league in a media poll released on Monday.

South Carolina was No. 1, followed by Texas, LSU, Vanderbilt and Kentucky.

Kentucky's Clara Strack was named to the All-SEC First Team, while Mikayla Blakes of Vanderbilt claimed preseason Player of the Year honors. Madison Booker (Texas), Blakes, Joyce Edwards (South Carolina), Strack and Mikayla Williams (LSU) rounded out the first team.

Strack is back for her senior season after a successful junior campaign. She became the first player in NCAA Division I women's basketball to record 607 points, 365 rebounds, 91 blocked shots, 68 assists, 44 steals and connected on 25 3-pointers in a single season. She also became the third fastest player to reach the 1,000-point plateau at Kentucky and has scored 1,030 points in 63 career games with the Wildcats.

"There have been some great players here — Valerie Still, Rhyne Howard, Makayla Epps — I think she's right in that company with them," Kentucky coach Kenny Brooks said. "We're very fortunate to have her as a Wildcat, and I think what she's going to be able to do in the next couple years is really set some records and take this program to different levels because of her, not only (with her) ability, but now she's becoming a leader."

Brooks is entering his third season at Kentucky and guided the Wildcats to a 25-11 record and an appearance in the Sweet Sixteen last season.

"The first two teams that we put together here set a tremendous foundation into what we want to try to do not only with the wins, but with just establishing ourselves as not only one of the better teams in the Southeastern Conference, but also in the country," he said. "We’ve done it in a way that I'm extremely proud of. We have phenomenal kids who are eager, who are very respectful of not only you know the position that they're in, but what they hold and how they can help shape the program, and they pass that on. This team is following right in the footsteps."

Kentucky had two players receive weekly Southeastern Conference honors on Monday. For the second straight week, Kenny Darby was named Freshman of the Week and wide receiver and punt returner Brock Coffman received the league's co-special teams player of the week.

Darby and Coffman were instrumental in Kentucky's 35-34 upset of LSU last Saturday. Coffman returned a punt 55 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter for his first collegiate score. The play was the Wildcats' first punt return for a touchdown since 2021, when Josh Ali had a 74-yard return against Mississippi State.

Darby caught four passes for 79 yards. His 19-yard reception led to a game-tying field goal that sent the game into overtime. Darby caught a short pass for a first-down in overtime that led to a touchdown and the eventual game-winning two-point conversion.

"It was just a great run after the catch," Kentucky coach Will Stein said of Darby's catch in overtime. "That’s a sign of a really good receiver: once you catch the ball, what you do with it? He’s got a knack for knifing through the defense, going North and South. It was a really good play."

Game time set

Kentucky's game against Vanderbilt on Oct. 24 has been set for 7:30 p.m. ET/ 6:30 p.m. CT and will be televised on the SEC Network. The Wildcats have an open date the following week before taking on No. 13 Tennessee on Nov. 7 in Knoxville.