Markquis Nowell etches name in NCAA tournament lore with all-time outing at Madison Square Garden

NEW YORK — Kansas State star Markquis Nowell grew up on 109th Street and Lexington Avenue in Harlem, a short subway ride from Madison Square Garden, but Thursday night marked the first time he played in basketball’s mecca.

And, with all due respect to tournament Cinderella Princeton, Nowell used his Garden debut to author the fairy tale of March — so far.

“Today was a special one, man,” Nowell said after Kansas State's jaw-dropping 98-93 overtime victory against Michigan State in the Sweet 16 round of the men's NCAA tournament. “I've got to give a lot of credit to my teammates for battling, for fighting through adversity when we was down. I can't even explain how I'm feeling right now. I just know that I'm blessed and I'm grateful."

Nowell, a senior guard listed at 5-foot-8, turned in an NCAA tournament performance for the ages and became the talk of the sports world, dishing out a tournament single-game record 19 assists — every one of them needed in Thursday's win over March juggernauts Tom Izzo and Michigan State.

Not that anyone could have foreseen this level of greatness, but Nowell teased at Wednesday’s practice that playing at MSG for the first time was going to be special.

“It's going to be fun,” Nowell said. “I'm just looking forward to being in this atmosphere and stepping on that court.”

Fun, it turned out, was an understatement. Nowell was a human highlight reel for 40-plus minutes on Thursday. He dished out assists behind his back, without looking, through his legs and, in one of the game's most crucial moments, delivered a trick-play alley-oop to Keyontae Johnson with less than a minute to play.

Nowell’s performance was even more impressive considering he turned his ankle on a drive with 15:34 left in the second half. Nowell spent just over two minutes of game time getting treatment and the Spartans capitalized to take a lead.

"When I saw Markquis go down and hobble off, I knew he wasn't staying off,” Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang said. “That dude didn't come here to be injured on his last college game, so I knew he was coming back in.”

Shortly after checking back in, clearly hobbled, Nowell became a whirlwind again, drilling an off-balance 3, forcing a Michigan State turnover and then assisting on a basket in a matter of seconds. It was a sequence that embodied Nowell’s motto.

“'Heart over height' means — it's a slogan that I live by,” Nowell explained Wednesday. “You don't determine somebody's, I guess, destiny because of their height. You determine it by their heart and their passion. That's something that I live by and that I play my game after.”

It was a perfect throwback and tribute to New York and the gritty style of basketball the city has showcased for decades. For a player who grew up watching Kemba Walker, Isaiah Briscoe and Isaiah Whitehead, there was no doubt that Nowell was going to will away any pain he might have been feeling.

“I just wanted to do it for my teammates,” Nowell said. “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.”

Michigan State refused to relent and had a hard-nosed New York guard of its own. Tyson Walker, from Westbury, New York, came up huge for the Spartans down the stretch, including hitting the game-tying layup with five seconds to play in regulation.

“They played a tremendous game on the offensive end and defensive end. It was like a Rocky fight tonight," Nowell said. "We were going back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And some guys made some big-time plays, so I want to give credit to Tom Izzo and Michigan State."

The ball found its way into Nowell’s hands with the game on the line, of course. Nowell had a clear lane and drove to the basket, but his layup hit off the side of the rim and sent both teams to overtime. It was a rare moment where Nowell looked mortal.

While Nowell’s stunning lob to Johnson will undoubtedly get played on loop for the rest of this tournament — at least — it was a much more pedestrian baseline inbounds pass that ultimately put the game out of reach.

With 17 seconds left, sitting at 18 assists and with a 94-93 lead, Nowell took the ball and hit Ismael Massoud — a fellow Harlem native — who buried an open look to give the Wildcats a critical three-point lead and snapped Nowell’s tie with UNLV’s Mark Wade, who had 18 assists in the national semifinal in 1987.

“We're at our best when we're sharing the ball, passing the ball around the perimeter and different guys are getting into double figures in the scoring category,” Nowell said. “Credit to my teammates. I wouldn't have 19 assists if they didn't make any shots. So credit to Ish, Keyontae, Desi [Sills], Nae'Qwan [Tomlin], everybody that played today for allowing me to have this career high in assists.”

Michigan State, looking to tie with a 3, was unable to get a shot off in the game's closing sequence and the ball squirted out near midcourt for Nowell to scoop, drive and lay in as the buzzer sounded.

Nowell dropped dimes and jaws alike, garnering attention from sports stars ranging from Patrick Mahomes — who knows a thing or two about gutting out ankle injuries — to Trae Young, who lives in infamy in MSG lore.

During Wednesday’s media availability, Nowell was asked about his Twitter handle, @MrNewYorkCityy, and why he adopted it.

“It's just the confidence that I have in myself,” Nowell answered. “I made a promise to myself back when I was in high school that I was going to do anything and everything in my power to be the best player that came out of New York.”

On Thursday, Nowell wasn’t just the best player on the floor or pride of New York, he was the king of March Madness, with his height and heart towering over all.