In a thrilling game at the Madison Square Garden, the No. 3 seed Kansas State Wildcats edged out the No. 7 seed Michigan State Spartans in a 98-93 overtime finish, which marked the first overtime game of the March Madness. After the game, Shaquille O’Neal, being on the top of every headline as usual, made a bold statement about Kansas state’s 5’8” star, who put on a show of his skills in the game. 

The Wildcats led for the majority of the game, but the Spartans mounted a comeback in the second half to force an extra period. Ultimately, Kansas State came out on top with the victory, securing their first ticket to the Elite Eight since 2018.

Shaquille O’Neal makes a bold claim about 5’8” Kansas State star

The Wildcats were expected to finish last in the Big 12 in the preseason, but they defied expectations and played a strong game against the Spartans. Guard Markquis Nowell put together a historic performance in pacing the team to a narrow victory. He broke Mark Wade’s long-held record of most assists in an NCAA Tournament game, with 19 total dimes along side 20 points. Nowell’s steal and layup at the buzzer clinched the game for the Wildcats.

Kansas State’s strong first-half performance was fueled by Nowell’s 10 assists, which helped the team take a 43-38 halftime lead. Although he appeared to injure his ankle in the second half, Nowell bounced back quickly and continued to impact the game with his regular heroics. 

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Shaquille O’Neal, on his recent visit to ‘the Players Choice’ podcast, started off by praising Nowell for his remarkable game. He said, “I’m watching little man go crazy, that dude from Kansas State.”  However, the Big Diesel also listed his concerns for Nowell in his upcoming games.

According to Shaq, it could be a little worrying for the youngster to compete in future games. In his own words, “I think the difference for him in this game is the last game he won by scoring, this game he won by distributor… My only concern though is at the next level he may be a little too small.”

Shaq ended his opinion with a sad nod of the head.

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Kansas state’s marvellous win led by Markquis Nowell

The Spartans put up a deep and balanced effort, with all five of their starters finishing in double figures in scoring. AJ Hoggard led the team with 25 points, and Joey Hauser added 18. New York native Tyson Walker also had a strong game, finishing with 16 points and contributing 11 of those in the second half and overtime.

With the win, Kansas State advanced to the East Regional final, where they will face the winner of Florida Atlantic and Tennessee. The Wildcats have a chance to make their first Final Four appearance since 1964, which would be a major accomplishment for a team that was not expected to go far in the tournament. 

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