Kansas State Defeats Michigan State, Advances To Elite 8

The Tennessee Volunteers have learned their potential Elite 8 opponent. The Kansas State Wildcats defeated Michigan State on Thursday afternoon to move on.

March Madness is narrowing down. Sweet 16 games will be going on all weekend, but the first contest has already been decided. The Kansas State Wildcats have escaped a late push from Michigan State and are headed to the Elite 8 for the 13th time in program history.

Guard Markquis Nowell has been one of the best stories in the NCAA Tournament, and he continued his run against the Spartans. Nowell delivered 20 points and 19 assists on one of the sport's biggest stages, all while on a bum ankle. He was visibly fighting through pain but had a spectacular outing.

Markquis Nowell, Kansas State G

If Tennessee defeats Florida Atlantic later tonight, they will meet the Wildcats in the Elite 8. It would mark one of the few times the program has made the Elite 8, and they have never made a Final Four before.

Things mean a little extra for head coach Rick Barnes. In 36 years of coaching college basketball at the major division one level, Barnes built quite the resume. He has appeared in 27 NCAA tournaments with eight sweet sixteen, three elite 8s, and a final four appearance in 2003 with Texas. His legacy now is no secret that he is one of the most consistent coaches in college hoops.

However, he has that obvious one thing missing, a national championship. The closest he got to it was in 2003 while coaching with the Texas Longhorns. He lost to Syracuse, led by recently retired coach Jim Boeheim. They became the eventual national champions that season.

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