Markquis Nowell put on a big show in the Big Apple Thursday night. Just imagine what he can do if he had both his ankles healthy. The Kansas State Wildcats guard let his team to a thrilling 98-93 overtime win against Big Ten powerhouse Michigan State Spartans at Madison Square Garden with a performance that will not be forgotten anytime soon.
Everyone who saw the game must have been left awed by Markquis Nowell, including Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang, of course.
“This a bad boy,” Tang said during a postgame interview, giving all the props he can to Nowell, who finished with a monster stat line of 20 points, 19 assists, and five steals.
The 19 dimes Markquis Nowell dropped are a new NCAA tournament record (at least since 1984), according to ESPN Stats & Info. He broke the record of 18 assists previously set by Mark Wade of UNLV way back in 1987.
Of the 98 points Kansas State produced in the ball game, 69 were straight off Nowell's hands or assisted by the guard, who did everything he could to tow his team to the Elite Eight.
Kansas State has definitely made its mark in the NCAA tournament, and it's not done yet in the Wildcats' first Big Dance since 2019. The same can be said of Tang with regard to his impact on the program in just his first year on the job.
Kansas State will continue to relish its huge win against the Spartans before preparing for its next opponent, which will be the winner of the matchup between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Florida Atlantic Owls.