Three takeaways from Kansas State basketball's overtime thriller against Michigan State

NEW YORK — There are rock fights, and now there's a "Rocky" fight.

Kansas State has played its share of ugly games on offense this season, but on Thursday night on their biggest stage yet, the Wildcats channeled the sweet science of boxing, complete with haymakers and fancy footwork.

Throw in just enough defensive stops and a record-breaking performance from point guard Markquis Nowell, and No. 3 seed K-State persevered for a 98-93 overtime victory over Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament's East Regional semifinals at Madison Square Garden.

"It was like a 'Rocky' fight tonight," said Nowell, who scored 20 points and broke the NCAA Tournament single-game record with 19 assists for the Wildcats. "We were going back and forth, back and forth, and some guys made some big-time plays.

"So I want to give credit to (Michigan State coach) Tom Izzo and Michigan State."

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With the victory, No. 3 seed K-State improved to 26-9 and advanced to the regional final to face No. 9 Florida Atlantic on Saturday in the regional final. Florida Atlantic (34-3) beat No. 4 Tennessee, 62-55, in the late semifinal.

Nowell, who came off the deck to finish the game after hurting his ankle early in the second half, wasn't the only hero for K-State. Senior forward Keyontae Johnson, the Wildcats' other Big 12 all-conference selection and third-team All-American, scored a team-best 22 points, and Ismael Massoud knocked down a clutch jumper in the closing seconds of overtime.

"I'm just so proud of them," said Jerome Tang, who in his first season as a head coach has taken a team that was picked to finish last in the Big 12 to within one game of the Final Four.

Massoud, who hit a big 3-pointer to help seal last week's second-round victory over Kentucky, buried a jumper from the right wing with the shot clock winding down that put K-State up, 96-93, with 17 seconds left overtime. He finished with 15 points off the bench, including four 3-pointers.

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Nowell then got a steal before Michigan State could get a shot off and scored at the other end as the buzzer sounded.

Tang, who was an assistant coach at Baylor when the Bears won a national championship two years ago, was determined to savor the moment.

"Man, when it happens you just have to really embrace it and enjoy it and take a moment," he said. "We've got to take a moment to soak this thing in before we move on to the next thing.

"Now the next thing is really huge, whoever we have to play. But we're just kind of taking everything 1-0 every day and every aspect of the day. I'm really thankful for the opportunity."

K-State led 43-38 at halftime, and the game was tied 82-82 at the end of regulation after Nowell's drive to the basket at the buzzer was no good.

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In addition to Johnson, Nowell and Massoud, K-State got 12 points from Cam Carter and 11 each from Nae'Qwan Tomlin and David N'Guessan. Tomlin had a team-high seven rebounds.

K-State shot 55.9% for the game to 49.2% for Michigan State.

A.J. Hoggard scored 25 points and had six assists to lead Michigan State, which finished its season at 21-13. The Spartans also got 18 points from Joey Hauser and 16 each from Tyson Walker and Jaden Akins.

Here are three takeaways from a monumental victory for K-State, which now is within one game of reaching its first Final Four since 1964.

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No turnover drama for Kansas State basketball this time

Turnovers have served as a predictor of K-State success or failure all season.

Against Michigan State, everything came up roses for the Wildcats, who were on point offensively from the get-go. They could not have picked a better time to produce a season-low five miscues.

"It was big. When we have 11 or less turnovers, we're undefeated, so that's our goal," Johnson said. "That's our motto, 11 or less."

It's not every day the Wildcats win the turnover battle. To do so against Michigan State, which had 13, saved the day. K-State outscored the Spartans 16-2 off turnovers, and with 10 steals had an 8-2 advantage in fast-break points.

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Nowell, who has been turnover-prone at times, played a key role on both ends with his career-high 19 assists against two turnovers, and also had five steals. Carter added three steals without turning it over.

"If you look at our record, every time we have 11 or less turnovers, we're undefeated," guard Desi Sills said. "If we take care of the ball, I feel like nobody can beat us at the end of the day."

Ismael Massoud needs a new moniker

After Massoud hit a game-winning 3-pointer at Baylor in early January, his teammates began to refer to him as Big 12 Ish. He didn't have an easy time adapting to Tang's system during nonconference play, but showed new life after the calendar flipped to 2023.

Massoud made 40.7% of his threes in 18 conference games, but since missing both attempts against Montana State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, he has been on fire.

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In addition to giving the Wildcats the lead for good in the Kentucky game, he made his last four 3-pointers against Michigan State.

But it was a fade-away mid-range jumper that helped nail down the victory over the Spartans. Nowell had just missed everything on a 3-point try, but video replay confirmed that the ball was tipped, and K-State retained possession with 17.4 seconds on the game clock and 4.7 on the shot clock.

Nowell inbounded under the basket and found Massoud, who didn't hesitate.

"I feel like I've got that in my bag," Massoud said of the two-point jumper. "My teammates will say I got that in my bag.

"I knew the (shot) clock was going down. Coach Tang gave me a look and said when I get it, shoot it. Don’t hesitate. So I cut down, Quis (found) me and I just faded away and the rest is history."

Tomlin said the Wildcats have come to expect that from Massoud.

"He's a hell of a player. He makes big-time plays. That's why we call him Big 12 Ish," Tomlin said.

But now that Massoud has taken his late-game heroics beyond the Big 12, is it time for a new name? Maybe NCAA Ish or Mid-range Massoud?

"I guess we have to call him Big Swish Ish," Tomlin suggested.

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Overtime is Cat time

Kansas State had every reason to feel confident when the game went to overtime against Michigan State.

The Wildcats had yet to lose this season in four previous overtime tests, which Tang said helped secure No. 5.

"Huge," Tang said of that experience. "When we sat down in the huddle, every one of them said, 'Hey, we don't lose in overtime.' They knew it.

"We've been here before. It's five. Five more minutes. We're OK with it."

Sills wasn't so sure the previous overtime experiences were as important as another team mantra of winning the last five minutes of any game

"It's a whole different animal," Sills said of overtime in the NCAA Tournament with the season on the line. "But at the end of the day, coach Tang and his coaching staff, they'll preach going 'five to grind.'

"We work on it in practice and practice makes perfect. It was just working on what we do in practice, trying to execute at the end of the game."

Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on Twitter at @arnegreen.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Takeaways from Kansas State men's basketball game vs. Michigan State