Markquis Nowell honed his game on the outdoor courts of Manhattan, but he had yet to rule the court inside Madison Square Garden.
His old CHSAA rival Tyson Walker displayed plenty of magic as well in trying to stop the 5-8 sparkplug in a classic Sweet 16 game that at times resembled a little Ali-Frazier in its back-and-forth slugfest on Thursday night.
Nowell, whose appreciation for being a New York guard oozes from his on-court imagination to his off-court persona, took the more than 19,000 spectators at the Garden on an emotional ride on Thursday night, leading his team from Manhattan, Kansas, to a 98-93 overtime win over Michigan State in the Sweet 16.
For a little gravy, he even channeled a little Willis Reed, returning from a second-half ankle injury to stem the tide against the gritty Spartans.
Nowell scored 20 points and dished out an NCAA tournament record 19 assists while the equally inspiring Keyontae Johnson had 22 points to lead third-seeded Kansas State (26-9). East Harlem product Ismael Massoud wouldn’t be outdone either for the Wildcats, scoring 15 points, including going 4-for-6 from three in clutch situations, but also his long baselines jumper gave the Wildcats a three-point lead with 12.5 seconds left in overtime.
Nowell put an exclamation mark on the ending when he stripped Walker’s tying three-point attempt, grabbed the loose and dribbled the length of the court to score at the buzzer.
Kansas State advances to play with the winner of Thursday’s nightcap between Tennessee and Florida Atlantic.
Walker, the Christ the King product, had 16 points and five assists, including the tying layup to force overtime with five seconds left. AJ Hoggard had 25 points and Joey Hauser added 18 for the Spartans (21-13), who seemed to answer almost every punch Kansas State gave them.
Kansas State’s little engine harnessed his asphalt playmaking with backdoor passes and challenged Michigan State in the paint, especially after his injury. Now he can add the Garden to those stories waxing about Rucker Park, Dyckman Street, and West 4th.
After a back-and-forth first half that saw Kansas State leading 43-38, the Wildcats extended the lead to 8 at 49-41 on a Desi Sills layup.
The Spartans used a Jaden Akins three and a layup from Hoggard to pull within 50-46 before Nowell injured his right ankle on a missed layup with 15:31 left in the game.
Nowell needed to be helped off the court without putting weight on the ankle. He missed the next 2½ minutes and the Spartans went to town with a 9-2 run on a three-point play by Hoggard. Nowell leaped from his seat at one point, bouncing on his good leg, and yelling at his teammates to keep it close.
After being taped up, Nowell returned to a massive ovation from the Kansas State crowd and proceeded to hit an off-balance three with the shot clock winding down and a storybook game from both sides ensued.
Kansas State eventually led 77-70 before a Spartans comeback, with Walker hitting a three.
Nowell’s jumper at 1:04 left gave Kansas State an 82-78 lead, but a Malik Hall layup and Walker’s layup forced the extra frame when Nowell’s layup at the buzzer hit off the rim.