Markquis Nowell wouldn’t let his team lose.
Nowell, the genius 5-foot-8-point guard for Kansas State, put on one of the NCAA tournament’s best performances in a stunning 75-69 win over Kentucky in Greensboro, North Carolina on Sunday.
Whether he was hitting 3-pointers from the midcourt logo or dishing out highlight-reel assists to his teammates, Nowell had a counter for every shot Kentucky delivered. He finished with 27 points, nine assists and three steals to send Kentucky home and put Kansas State in the Sweet 16 after missing the tournament the previous three seasons.
In a game where his team struggled to make outside jumps, the speedy Nowell was able to penetrate British defenses and navigate between the trees. Even as Kentucky All-American Big Man Oscar Tshiebwe dominated on the glass, Nowell’s ability to get in the paint and attack his teammates held on to Kansas State during an anemic 0-for-12 shooting performance in the first half over water.
K-State’s defense helped, too. Kentucky turned the ball over 11 times in the first half but came out with renewed focus to open the second half. K-State had a 29-26 lead at the break, but Kentucky opened the second half with a 13-0 run. Kentucky, a team struggling at half court on offense, got out on the break and got a lot of easy buckets in the transition.
K-State’s halftime lead quickly turned into a 39-31 deficit less than four minutes into the second half.
But Kansas State was undeterred. K-State was picked to finish last in the Big 12 in Jerome Tang’s first season as head coach, but this team has consistently exceeded expectations. What was an eight-point deficit to Kentucky in the second round of the NCAA tournament?
K-State responded with an 8-0 run of their own, sparking an even game in the final 13 minutes of regulation.
But the Kansas State team made more games on the track. Nowell drilled a 3 from the logo to tie the game at 54-54, 6-10. A few minutes later, after Kentucky took a four-point lead, Nowell drilled a step-back triple to reduce Britain’s lead to 60-59 with 3:33 time remaining.
The story goes on
Nowell later hit two free throws to give his team the lead, assisting Ismael Massoud and Keyontae Johnson on clutch 3-pointers that put K-State in the lead for good.
Johnson’s regression at the 1:23 mark was the dagger.
While Nowell took the lead, Johnson was one of three others to score in double figures for Kansas State. Johnson had 13 points while Desi Sills and Nae’qwan Tomlin had 12 each.
For the Kentucky side, 2022 National Team Player of the Year Tshiebwe recorded 25 points and 18 rebounds in what may be his last game in varsity uniform. Cason Wallace had 21 points and nine rebounds and Chris Livingston had 11, but Antonio Reeves had a brutal afternoon.
Reeves, Britain’s second-best scorer and top winger, finished the field with a miserable 1-of-15, including a 1-of-10 mark from beyond the arc. The only shot he hit was his last, a 3-pointer with just six seconds left on the clock.
Kentucky was just 4-of-20 on 3-pointers and finished the game with 16 costly turnovers.
Markquis Nowell (1) had a brilliant performance to lead Kansas State past Kentucky in the second round of the NCAA tournament on March 19, 2023 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C Tilton/Getty Images)
Another early exit from the NCAA tournament for Kentucky
It’s been a tough three-year stretch for John Calipari’s Kentucky program.
Calipari made the Elite Eight, the Final Four, and then won the national championship in his first three years on the job. Over the next seven seasons, Calipari coached the Wildcats to a national runner-up, a Final Four, two Elite Eights and a Sweet 16.
However, the past three seasons have not been anywhere near that high standard. Kentucky missed the tournament altogether, finishing 9-16 in a miserable 2021 season, suffering an embarrassing first-round loss to 15th-ranked St. Peter’s last year and then falling to the Round of 32 this year.
Kentucky was in the top five early in the season but never lived up to expectations. Great Britain lost three of their first four SEC games and at one point was 16-9 on aggregate with a 7-5 record in SEC play. The Wildcats played better in February but lost twice to Vanderbilt in early March, including in the SEC tournament.
Great Britain secured a sixth-place finish in the NCAA tournament, battling No. 11 Providence despite an ugly offensive performance in the first round. The Wildcats couldn’t do the same against Kansas State on Sunday.
The Wildcats will look different next season, as has become common for Calipari’s teams. Kentucky’s 2023 recruiting class includes four five-star prospects and is No. 1 nationally. The Wildcats won’t be lacking in talent and Calipari will be under renewed pressure to deliver a much better postseason result.