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Records are made to be broken and sometimes they occur on the biggest stage. This was exactly the case in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament as Markquis Nowell shattered the record for assists per game, with 19, during Kansas State's victory over Michigan State.
It was a complete effort from Nowell, as he also added 20 points and five steals. The 5-foot-8 guard did a masterful job balancing his responsibilities as a scorer and playmaker throughout the matchup. He showed no hesitation in attacking the basket and rewarding his teammates when multiple opponents shifted over to guard him.
The record for most assists in the tournament was previously held by UNLV guard Mark Wade, who tallied 18 assists in 1987 against Indiana. Earl Watson (UCLA), Mitch Johnson (Stanford), and Ja Morant (Murray State) are each right behind them by tallying 16 assists in an NCAA Tournament game.
Markquis Nowell's Assists came at a key time
The 19th assist from Nowell came at a massive moment. The Kansas State guard inbounded the ball with 17.4 seconds remaining and set up Ismael Massoud, who knocked down a deep jumper to put the Wildcats up three.
Following this possession, Michigan State called a time-out and attempted to draw up a play to create an open 3-pointer. In poetic fashion, the game ended with a winning steal from Nowell, who stripped Tyson Walker as he attempted to rise up for the shot.
Nowell took the ball down the other end of the floor and laid it in as the clock expired to put an exclamation point on the victory.
The impressive playmaking effort should not come as a surprise for Nowell. The New York native has averaged 7.8 assists per game this season, which ranks second in the country. The 19-assists now marks a career-high for him as he previously had not had more than 14 in a game, although he reached this number twice.
The 19-assist performance also comes after he has already set the single-season Kansas State record for assists in a season. This number was previously held by Steve Henson, who recorded 186 in 1987-88. Markquis Nowell blew past this total as he has now recorded 285 on the year.
Nowell will have an opportunity to continue adding to this total for the rest of the NCAA Tournament. Kansas State will now prepare to match up with the winner of Tennessee and Florida Atlantic in the Elite Eight on Saturday.
