Parrish and Norlander Believe Malachi Moreno is Returning to Kentucky

Big Blue Nation is on pins and needles ahead of the May 27 NBA Draft withdrawal deadline. Every new mock draft elicits a reaction. Will Kentucky get Malachi Moreno back? Will they have a shot at Milan Momcilovic, or is it off the table?

Mark Pope has a chance to build a Top-10 roster if he can get both players in Kentucky blue next season, but the waiting game is brutal, particularly after this week’s NBA Combine.

What are we supposed to make of Moreno skipping 5-on-5 scrimmages at the NBA Combine? It sounded like Milan is all in on the NBA, but is he really going to make the jump? Sometimes, it’s best to hear an outside perspective on the situation, and that’s what we got from Matt Norlander and Gary Parrish on this week’s Eye on Basketball College Basketball Podcast.

Both CBS college basketball analysts believe there is a 75% chance Malachi Moreno returns to Kentucky for the 2026-27 season.

“Ultimately, I think Malachi Moreno and Tyler Tanner are going to play against each other next season in the SEC, but they are going to go through the process, and I don’t even blame them. They are handling this well,” said Parrish.

Life is all about leverage, and this is a multi-million dollar leverage game. Mark Pope must thread the needle over the next two weeks before Moreno must make a final decision.

“The problem is, if you actually get tough with him and draw a line, and he says, ‘All right, if that’s the way you want to be, I’ll just stay in the draft.’ You are maybe ending your coaching career at your alma mater,” said Parrish.

“As crazy as it sounds, this could be the key to you getting a year four or never getting a year four, and so that makes it a really delicate situation. Where, if I’m being honest, I think if I’m Kentucky, I just got to sit back and wait, be as kind and as patient, and make sure when it’s time we’re going to put so much money on the table, he can’t say no to us, because they need him now more than they needed him on the day the season ended. They need him now, because they’ve missed on so much other stuff.”

As for Momcilovic, he has even more leverage if he ultimately decides to return to college basketball. Kentucky, St. John’s, and Louisville will be in pursuit. He could use those teams to leverage a deal between $5-7 million.

“I think he could make just as much, if not more, coming back to school next season. So we wait and see on that. This story doesn’t appear to have any resolution over the next 10 days,” said Norlander.

For now, Big Blue Nation continues to play the waiting game. Throughout this process, each little trickle of news leads Kentucky fans to believe that both players are leaning toward the draft. At least this conversation appears to tilt the scales back in favor of the two playing college basketball next season.

[Listen to the Eye on College Basketball Podcast]