Markquis Nowell

Markquis Nowell sets an NCAA Tournament record with 19 assists and added 20 points as Kansas State topped the Spartans to reach the Elite Eight.

But he quickly returned with tape on his ankle and reasserted himself after a Michigan State spurt had pushed the Spartans ahead. If you're looking for one of the great moments in program history, that was it — and even Cleaves had to respect what Nowell was putting together. Playing back in his hometown, the former Arkansas-Little Rock transfer put on a clinic. The Wildcats will face the winner of No. In an unforgettable, back-and-forth Sweet 16 clash against one of the premier brands in college basketball, Nowell battled through an apparent lower-body injury to deliver 20 points and 19 assists to help the No. 3 Wildcats knock off the No.

The point guard from Harlem wrote his own chapter in Madison Square Garden lore with a record-setting performance.

The diminutive guard broke a 36-year-old record in a spectacular Sweet 16 performance on Thursday.

That Nowell was even available to finish the game -- much less break records while doing it -- was an incredible story in and of itself. [Tennessee](https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/teams/TENN/tennessee-volunteers/). [FAU](https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/teams/FAU/florida-atlantic-owls/) vs. Nowell's 19 assists also set a Kansas State program record. But the 5-foot-8 star came up biggest in overtime. [UNLV's](https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/teams/UNLV/unlv-rebels/) Mark Wade, who had 18 in a 1987 Final Four loss to [Indiana](https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/teams/IND/indiana-hoosiers/).

After leading the Wildcats into the Elite Eight with 19 assists vs. the Spartans, Nowell is the toast of Manhattan and Manhattan, Kansas.

The exact kind of player the country loves to fall in love with in March. 1 trending topic on Twitter "in the WORLD." A steal and a layup that kissed off the glass and fell through the net as the horn blared and the backboard flashed red, bringing Kansas State to its 14th Elite Eight in program history. In fact, the injury was the only time Nowell subbed out of the entire game. A tiny guy with the biggest heart and an endless supply of moxie. And to think, Nowell was doing it all on a bad wheel. "It's not just that he sees it, but they all have to pay attention to him when he has the ball in his hands." "It was just a basketball play between me and Keyontae," Nowell said. Tang and Nowell said afterward it was a healthy disagreement between player and coach. Johnson made a hard cut from the corner to the basket. He looked at Tang and fooled everyone except the one guy who knew exactly what was about to happen. Moments later, Nowell would be at his locker in the New York Knicks' spacious locker room, enveloped by dozens of reporters.

Markquis Nowell set the NCAA tournament record for assists in a game with 19, and Kansas State beat Michigan State 98-93 in a Sweet 16 overtime thriller.

While getting retaped, Nowell jumped out of his seat at one point to yell something to his teammates on the floor. He was down for several minutes, grabbing at his ankle, and he needed help from two staffers to get to the bench. But he redeemed himself, stealing the ball from Walker on Michigan State's final possession and going back the other way to seal the game with a layup at the buzzer. Nowell is now averaging 21.3 points, 14 assists and 3.7 steals in three NCAA tournament games, turning the ball over only 11 times. "I just wanted to do it for my teammates," he said. As Nowell brought the ball up the floor, he looked over at the crowd and yelled "watch this," before appearing to fake an argument with Tang about the play-call. Kansas State opened up a nine-point lead at the start of the second half, but Nowell landed awkwardly on a shot with 15:31 left in the second half. But Michigan State's guards were up to the challenge, with The [Kansas State](/mens-college-basketball/team/_/id/2306/kansas-state-wildcats) star started his response with what seemed like a bold declaration. We got eye contact, he was like, 'lob, lob.' I just threw it up and he made a great play." (Of course, that run came through an East Regional held at MSG, too.) Nowell could have filled an entire "One Shining Moment'' reel with highlights from Thursday's game.

The Harlem native put on a show at Madison Square Garden, setting an NCAA tournament record with 19 assists and propelling the Kansas State Wildcats to the ...

”I was talking to Isiah Thomas because I think he had a friend over there, and he was rooting for them,” Nowell said after the game. But it took the atmosphere at the Garden and the tournament stage to bring out his best performance. Amid the cheering from Cam’ron and the jeering from anybody wearing green, the tiny point guard with the huge chip on his shoulder made himself a March Madness icon. (I think this is also why there aren’t NYC superstars anymore in the 3-point era.) But there’s also something about the bravado of the position that fits the NYC flair for leadership via showmanship. Spike Lee—and only a few feet away on the MSG sideline from where that famous fan-player showdown went down—except if Miller had thought Lee was just a more famous person’s friend. Nowell put both Manhattans on his back (New York and Kansas) and set an NCAA tournament record with 19 assists to send 3-seed Kansas State to the Elite Eight. From the press seats, it looked like Nowell was just throwing the ball into crowds of Spartans. Hobbling and hopping, and spurred on by a little trash talk, Nowell got back in the game and made March magic. Everything was set up for Nowell to have a storybook evening on Thursday. (NYC native Tyson Walker also had 16 for the Spartans.) But the star was Nowell, who kept whipping diabolical passes to semi-open cutters. The game went to overtime, but all the Wildcats agree it was probably over when somebody on Michigan State started talking to Nowell. Nowell is from Harlem and was playing in Madison Square Garden for the first time.

Kansas State point guard Markquis Nowell shined in the Sweet 16 against Michigan State, scoring 20 points and an NCAA record 19 assists.

Massoud, who like Nowell honed his game on the playgrounds of Harlem, finished with 15 points for the Wildcats, who shot 55.9% from the field. Nowell turned his ankle early in the second half, was helped off the court and had it taped. Joey Hauser added 18 points and Walker had 16, including a layup with 5 seconds left in regulation that forced the first overtime of this year’s NCAA Tournament. Michigan State: The 68-year-old Izzo has led the Spartans to 25 straight NCAA Tournaments but is still seeking his second national title. Johnson — the Florida transfer who was sidelined for nearly two years after he collapsed on the court during a game in December 2020 — scored 22 points for the No. “It’s not just that he sees it, but they all have to pay attention to him when he has the ball in his hands.” They become only the second team to shoot better than 50% against the Spartans this season. Keyontae Johnson slipped behind the Michigan State defense, elevated with his back to the basket, grabbed the ball and slammed it down. Nowell finished with 20 points and five steals in a signature performance at basketball’s most famous arena that drew tweets of praise from Hoggard scored a career-high 25 points for seventh-seeded Michigan State (21-13). I just threw it up, and he made a great play.” “I mean, it was just a basketball play between me and Keyontae,” Nowell said.

The alley oop pass from Markquis Nowell to Keyontae Johnson was Jerome Tang set play in Kansas State's NCAA Sweet 16 win vs. Michigan State.

The most common way he racked up his NCAA-record 19 assists was by attacking the “low man” on Michigan State’s defense, which is the weak-side defender lowest on the floor and closest to the basket. “We worked on that in practice and we were ready for them to over-play everybody like that,” Sills said. “I just remember turning around and all of a sudden I see the ball going over my head and I turn and see Keyontae grabbing it and dunking it. Michigan State’s defense had been vulnerable to cuts all season, but no team exploited that weakness more than the Wildcats, as the Spartans were allowing just 5.8 points per game on cuts before Thursday’s regional semifinal. It was clear from the outset that Tom Izzo wanted to limit Markquis Nowell’s dribble penetration as much as possible by how aggressively the Spartans’ help defenders were playing the gaps. “I don’t think that was planned,” Carter said. “I was talking to Isiah because I think he had a friend over there and he was rooting for them. Meanwhile, Nowell and Tang barked back and forth with each other: The coach yelled something that the star point guard demonstrably waved off. “Dang, I’ve got to watch what I say,” Nowell said while laughing at the podium afterward. “While (Michigan State) was caught up in us bickering with each other, (Nowell) and Keyontae just made eye contact. As Nowell brought the ball up the court, TBS cameras showed Tang on the sideline with his arms perpendicular and his hands folded in. “(Nowell) wanted to run one play and I wanted to run another,” Tang told reporters.

Flash forward nine years and Kansas State's 5-foot-8 floor general, Markquis Nowell, staked his claim as New York City's premier point guard by setting “The ...

He did the [same thing in a tie game against Kansas](https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1615533282594287616?s=20) in mid-January as well. Nowell risked giving Walker three shots or a potential four-point play on the reach-in, but on a night when he was downright supernatural, he could do no wrong. Even Nowell’s 19th and final assist was a bounce pass along the baseline that had to be placed with pinpoint accuracy to reach Ismael Massoud’s hands. With 1:03 remaining, Nowell got Jaden Akins off-balance with a slick stutter-step, stepback mid-range two to extend the lead to four. “I was talking to Isaiah Thomas because I think he had a friend over there, and he was rooting for them. Before the alley-oop he whipped to Johnson, Nowell was overheard yelling “watch this” toward Isaiah Thomas. Even when Nowell got too risky with the biscuit, the bounces went in his favor. Michigan State was so mesmerized by Nowell pounding the rock and probing the paint, they missed him throwing teammates open on cuts to the rim. 19 hanging from the rafters, Nowell pulled a Willis Reed. [Mark Wade’s](https://www.statista.com/statistics/1106995/assists-march-madness/#:~:text=The%20tournament%20takes%20place%20each,1987%20edition%20of%20the%20tournament.) NCAA Tournament record for assists, Nowell scored or assisted on 69 of 98 scores according to [Synergy Basketball](https://twitter.com/SynergySST/status/1639070392034775043). The flush gave Kansas State a lead they’d never surrender and Nowell his record-tying 18th assist. From Kemba Walker to Napier to Jameer Nelson, Napoleonesque point guards have been conquerors before, but this one was extra special because of the confluence of events.

That friend that Nowell was referencing happened to be Michigan State legend Mateen Cleaves, the star of the Spartans' 2000 National Championship team.