- Kansas State point guard Markquis Nowell had a historic Sweet 16 performance at Madison Square Garden.
- The New York City native suffered an apparent ankle injury in the second half of the tight contest.
The Kansas State Wildcats were rolling early in the second half of their Sweet 16 matchup against the Michigan State Spartans.
And Markquis Nowell was at the center of it all.
The 5-foot-8 point guard put on an absolute show at Madison Square Garden Thursday night — facilitating his team's offense with a precision and flair that completely captivated the nearly 20,000 fans witnessing his greatness at the world's most famous arena.
So when, less than five minutes into the second half, Nowell suffered an apparent ankle injury that required team staffers to carry him off the court, Kansas State looked destined to lose its momentum.
Or, at least, it looked that way to everyone watching from the sidelines. But the Wildcats — Nowell, his teammates, and his coach — were entirely unfazed.
"When I saw Markquis go down and hobble off, I knew he wasn't staying off," Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang said in the postgame press conference. "That dude didn't come here to be injured on his last college game, so I knew he was coming back in."
Nowell sure didn't look like he'd be able to make his way back to the floor. As Michigan State embarked on a 9-2 run to reclaim the lead, the New York City native sat at the far end of his team's bench with his head in his hands.
And when he tried to put weight on the bum ankle — let's just say it didn't look pretty.
—Geoff Magliocchetti (@GeoffJMags) March 23, 2023
But with a little tape and a lot of will, Nowell pulled himself out of his chair and checked back into the game less than three minutes after he hobbled off the floor.
"I mean, it means a lot," Wildcats leading scorer Keyontae Johnson said after the game. "He's our starting point guard. His IQ, his feel for the game — he brings everybody confidence. And when he came back, I felt like it just — everybody saw how he was trying to fight through his injury, and we just wanted to fight back for him."
And even though he was still favoring that ailing ankle, Nowell hit an acrobatic, off-balance three almost immediately after re-entering the contest. Tie ball game:
—CBS Sports College Basketball (@CBSSportsCBB) March 24, 2023
He'd add another 10 points and nine assists from there, seemingly forgetting about the injury altogether en route to a 98-93 overtime win to punch Kansas State's ticket to the Elite Eight.
What's more, Nowell broke the NCAA Tournament single-game assist record with a whopping 19 dimes on the night. He tied the mark set by UNLV's Mark Wade in 1987 — 12 years before Nowell was born — with an incredible trick-play alley-oop to Johnson, then broke the record with an inbounds pass to Ismael Massoud.
—NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 24, 2023
All with a bad ankle.
"I just wanted to do it for my teammates," Nowell said after the game. "I love being out there with these guys, and I wasn't going to let a little injury like this that happens on the basketball court all the time to stop me from playing in the Sweet 16 and advancing to the Elite Eight."
On Friday, he told NCAA basketball analyst Andy Katz that he'd done rehab and recovery on his ankle, which he estimates is at "85 to 90%" of full strength. It's a good sign for the Wildcats, who will return to Madison Square Garden on Saturday to face the Florida Atlantic Owls with a trip to the Final Four on the line.
Fans can tune in to watch Nowell and Kansas State fight for a spot in Houston on TBS Saturday at 6:09 p.m. ET.