Markquis Nowell had 17 points and 14 assists, and No. 3 Kansas State edged out 14th-seeded Montana State 77-65 on Friday night to earn its first NCAA tournament win since beating Kentucky in 2018 had defeated to reach the Elite Eight.
The two Wildcat programs meet again in a rematch in the second round of the NCAA tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum on Sunday. Kentucky, the sixth seed, defeated No. 11 Providence 61-53 in the earlier game.
Nowell and fellow Associated Press All-American third teammate Keyontae Johnson, who had 18 points and eight rebounds, proved too much for the Bobcats.
RaeQuan Battle had 26 points on 9 of 17 shooting for Montana State (25-10), which had broken its eight-game winning streak.
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Kansas State guard Markquis Nowell (1) reacts in the second half of a first round college basketball game against Montana State at the NCAA tournament Saturday March 18, 2023 in Greensboro, NC (AP Photo/John Bazemore).
Kansas State (24-9) led 34-28 against Montana State at the break. The Wildcats extended their lead to 13 with 11 minutes to go when Desi Sills scored under his own basket on a layup of an inbounds pass after a botched defensive effort.
Montana State went to a 1-3-1 defense that briefly bothered the Wildcats and helped reduce the lead to eight before Nowell buried a deep 3-pointer off the left wing and Nae’Qwan Tomlin lobbed Slide the lead back to 13.
Montana State wouldn’t resign, however, as Darius Brown tossed a 3 with 2:44 left.
The Kansas State Wildcats’ David N’Guessan #3 and Markquis Nowell #1 celebrate in the second half against the Montana State Bobcats in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at the Fieldhouse at Greensboro Coliseum on March 17, 2023 in Greensboro, North Carolina.
FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON TRANSLATE TOP SEED PURDUE AND FINISHED SECOND 16 SEED TO EARN A NO. 1 IN MARCH MADNESS HISTORY
But Tomlin, who finished with 13 points, responded with another dunkoff after Nowell threaded the needle with his 14th assist, the most by a Kansas State player in an NCAA tournament game to date.
David N’Guessan added two technical foul free throws and then hit with an inside layer. Sills punctuated the win with a rogue left-handed dunk that gave the Wildcats a 16-point lead.
BIG PICTURE
Montana State: The Bobcats were looking for a better performance after losing to Texas Tech by 35 points in the opening round of last year’s tournament, and they got it. The Big Sky champions showed they could compete on the NCAA tournament stage, but didn’t end up having the size to compete with the Wildcats. Montana State was outclassed 48-30 in color.
Kansas State: The Wildcats had some concerns getting into the tournament after back-to-back losses to West Virginia and TCU. It was a struggle at times, but the Wildcats ended with a rush to seal the win.
Desi Sills #13 of the Kansas State Wildcats celebrates with teammates during the second half against the Montana State Bobcats in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at the Fieldhouse at Greensboro Coliseum on March 17, 2023 in Greensboro, North Carolina.
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Kansas State defeated Kentucky 61-58 on March 22, 2018 for its first win over the Wildcats in 10 tries.
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