Wildcats Roar At MSG as Nowell, Kansas State Conquer Michigan St. in OT
NEW YORK-It's not often that the higher seed ... much less the highest seed remaining on a certain bracket ... faces adversity at the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.
The Kansas State Wildcats, the top team standing in the East Regional after top schools Purdue and Marquette bowed out, faced such scrutiny in facing one of the victorious disposers of the Big East champions, the Michigan State Spartans. But, at least after the first half of Regional Semifinal action at Madison Square Garden, the Wildcats own both the last laugh and an Elite Eight bid.
No. 3 Kansas State enjoyed a gutsy, legendary performance from senior guard Markquis Nowell, as the Harlem native put in 20 points and 19 assists in the regional semifinal, part of that tally earned on an injured ankle en route to a 98-93 overtime victory over the seventh-seeded Spartans. The latter tally set an NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament record for assists in a single game.
Thus continued a stellar tournament showing for Nowell, who has become one of this tournament's most recognizable breakout stars. Said to be left behind by the big schools upon his collegiate entry for his 5-foot-8 stature, Nowell has taken full advantage of the opportunity afforded to him by Kansas State after spending his first two years at Little Rock.
That faith has been rewarded to the tune of the Wildcats' first Elite Eight appearance since 2018 and they'll look to end an even longer Final Four drought (no appearances since 1964) on Saturday night against No. 9 Florida Atlantic (6:09 p.m. ET, TBS).
After their squad built a 43-38 halftime lead, the K-State contingent as MSG was forced to hold its breath when Nowell turned his ankle shortly after the first media timeout and was carried to the bench. While he was taped and attended to by the team's medical staff, a 50-46 lead became a 55-52 deficit, the run punctuated by A.J. Hoggard's successful and-one opportunity. Nowell checked back in after that and gave an immediate health update to the tune of a three-pointer, a steal, and an assist on Cam Carter's lay-up within a minute of his re-entry.
Nowell asked that the efforts of his teammates not get lost in the midst of his mastery: Keyontae Johnson had 22 points to pace the Wildcats on 10-of-18 shooting (partaking in all 45 minutes of action) while Ismael Massoud (15) and David N'Guessan (11) each earned double figures in relief.
The return, however, wasn't enough to dissuade the Spartans, seeking their ninth Final Four appearance under head coach Tom Izzo. MSU kept pace with 18 points over the latter 25 minutes from Hoggard while Tyson Walker's lay-up with six seconds remaining forced an 82-all tie and a five-minute overtime to decide the first East semifinalist.
Appropriately, further Nowell niceties sealed the deal: Kansas State took a permanent lead when the senior guard, following an animated discussion with head coach Jerome Tang who later relented, tossed up an alley-oop that Johnson turned into a reverse dunk at the onset of the final minute. That gave the Wildcats a permanent lead and after one last defensive stop, Nowell ran the clock out in style, taking a steal the length of the floor for a dunk that created the final margin.
With their win, Kansas State has a chance to keep the Big 12's streak of national championships alive, succeeding Baylor and Kansas. Texas, the second-seed in the Midwest Region, likewise lingers and they'll play Friday's nightcap in Kansas City against Xavier (9:45 p.m. ET, CBS).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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