- No. 3 Kansas State beat No. 7 Michigan State at Madison Square Garden to earn a spot in the Elite Eight.
- Wildcats guard Markquis Nowell threw up an alley-oop in overtime that gave K-State the lead for good.
NEW YORK — No. 3 Kansas State punched their ticket to the Elite Eight on Thursday with a thrilling overtime win over No. 7 Michigan State.
Wildcats guard Markquis Nowell was the star of the show, setting an NCAA Tournament record with 19 assists on the night. He also poured in 20 points and had five steals, including the takeaway that sealed the game for Kansas State.
Of all of his assists, however, one of his latest was also his best.
"I was pumped up about being in that place of fire that coach always talks about, and I love that," Nowell said, sitting in the locker room of his hometown New York Knicks, after the win. "It's the most intense part of the game. It's usually the end of the game where you're close to winning, and when everybody is just intense and focused on winning.
"That's the place I love being in," he added. "'Cause that's where stars are made."
With just a minute left in overtime and the game tied 92-92, Nowell brought the ball up the court and appeared to exchange words with head coach Jerome Tang on the sideline.
As Nowell and Tang continued their tête-a-tête, teammate Keyontae Johnson made a back cut for the basket after catching his defender sleeping. Without skipping a beat, Nowell tossed an alley-oop in his direction, which Johnson sent home with a reverse-slam.
—NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 24, 2023
As replays showed the exchange between Nowell and Tang, fans and commentators alike couldn't tell if the conversation was genuine, or simply a ruse to lull the Spartans defense into a false sense of security.
—NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 24, 2023
On Twitter, fans were quick to compliment Nowell on what looked like a bit of trickery.
—Mike Rutherford (@CardChronicle) March 24, 2023
But on the postgame panel, former Villanova head coach Jay Wright believed that the exchange was genuine.
—CBS Sports College Basketball (@CBSSportsCBB) March 24, 2023
After the game, Nowell at first played coy with the moment.
"I mean, it was just a basketball play between me and Keyontae," Nowell said. "We knew how Michigan State plays defense. They play high up, and Keyontae just told me, we got eye contact, and he was like, lob, lob. I just threw it up, and he made a great play."
But after a follow-up, Nowell admitted to a bit of cheekiness on the play, though not in the form of trickery. A reporter had heard Nowell turned to the crowd and said, "Watch this," just before the play, and Nowell came clean.
"Dang, I've got to watch what I say," Nowell said. "Yeah, I was talking to Isaiah Thomas because I think he had a friend over there, and he was rooting for them. And I'm like, y'all not going to win today."
Whether or not the conversation with Tang was legitimate or a bit of trickery, the Wildcats are heading to the Elite Eight.
Whichever team meets them there will have to be ready for anything.