This Is Markquis Nowell's Tournament

Holy shit what a game. I mean it was Kansas State/Xavier in 2010 all over again. Dudes just going back and forth. And you know who won it? This guy. Markquis Nowell with one of the single best individual games in an NCAA Tournament game in a long time. 

I'd typically say oh this shot is a prayer that can happen to anyone. Except this is Markquis Nowell's event. He's putting on a show. Also the fact that this happened basically right after he checked back in after brutally rolling his ankle. He still didn't look right trying to hobble around out there. 

That said, his passes have been borderline porn. Filthy and disgusting each time. 

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Dude just knows how to attack. It was obviously more than Nowell (and Johnson). This was Ish Massoud hitting big three after big three including one from the damn logo late in regulation. Or the long two with the shot clock running down while up 1 with 14 to go in overtime. 

But this is the Nowell show. Dude is back home in NYC. He even had the ankle injury in front of Isiah Thomas and put on a show after coming back in - sound familiar? That's for old people I guess. This is about how he is shorter than even the average blogger yet knows how to attack blitz screens. Shit, when Kansas State needed him late in the shot clock up 2 and a minute to go in the game, just a filthy move to create space and drill a midrange jumper. 

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This is why you need guards in March. This is why it's not even cliche with how much it's said. It's just the fact. And that game fucking ruled because of the guards. Tyson Walker/AJ Hoggard/Jaden Akins were downright awesome for Michigan State. It's not like they were even outplayed. Kansas State just won that game. Sure, Nowell didn't need those 35-footers at the end of regulation or overtime. But guess what? It didn't matter.

What a fucking game.