Kansas State's Markquis Nowell Talks Ankle Injury 'Scare', Status for Elite 8 vs. FAU

Markquis Nowell's historic performance against Michigan State in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament almost didn't happen after the senior guard went down with an ankle injury early in the second half.

He rolled his ankle while driving to the rim and was on the floor for several minutes before getting taped up on the end of the bench and returning to the game.

"It was a scare," Nowell said. "I tweaked it a little bit, but it feels good now. Just been icing it, elevating it, stuff you do with a rolled ankle."

The first-team All-Big 12 guard ended up dropping 20 points and an NCAA tournament-record 19 assists as he drove the Wildcats to the win and an appearance in the Elite Eight.

Now, ahead of Kansas State's matchup against Florida Atlantic on Saturday with a trip to the Final Four in Houston on the line, Nowell said he is feeling about as healthy as he can, with his ankle at about 85 to 90 percent.

Nowell has arguably been the best player in the tournament, as he is averaging 21.3 points, 14.0 assists and 3.7 steals in three tournament games. As a New York native, he'll have one more opportunity to impress in front of his hometown crowd at Madison Square Garden against the Owls.

"You don't shut him down," FAU head coach Dusty May said of Nowell. "You try to make him score inefficiently. You try to challenge every pass, every passing lane with anticipation, with our athleticism. But you don't stop a guy like that. You just hope to make him inefficient on that particular night."

It'll be a tough matchup for the ninth-seeded Owls, who have yet to face a guard as dynamic as Nowell in the tournament. They are not to be underestimated, however, as they just eliminated a talented fourth-seeded Tennessee team for the program's first-ever trip to the Elite Eight.