GREENSBORO, N.C. -- The NCAA Tournament has long been dictated by guard play and shot-making ability.

Kansas State put both of those on display when it mattered most on Sunday against Kentucky in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Markquis Nowell scored 11 of his game-high 27 points in the final 3:35 to help rally KSU to a 75-69 win at Greensboro Coliseum. He also dished out nine assists to help the Big 12’s third-seeded Wildcats advance to the Sweet 16 in the East Region.

Nowell hit the first of three late 3-pointers for the winners on a day when they made only five of 21 from beyond the arc. Former Florida Gator Keyontae Johnson and Ismael Massoud also knocked down two on back to back trips inside of two minutes to help Kansas State (25-9) get separation.

Johnson chipped in with 13 points, while Nae’Quan Tomlin and Desi Sills each added 12 for KSU.

"Dudes. We got dudes," Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang said. "That's what it takes."

"(Nowell) made some really tough plays," Kentucky head coach John Calipari said. "I talk about playmaking a lot -- he made plays. They made two big 3s and we came down and missed two open 3s. It came down to that."

Kentucky (22-12) made only four of 20 attempts from long range. Senior wings Jacob Toppin and Antonio Reeves combined to shoot 2-for-22 from the field, finsihing with just five combined points after averaging more than 27 on the season.

"We're better than that shooting the ball," Calipari said. "But in the NCAA, you can't win if you have a game like that.

"Tough way to end."

Kentucky led by as many as eight points in the second half, fueled by a tremendous effort from senior big man Oscar Tshiebwe. He finished with 25 points and 18 rebounds on a day when UK outrebounded KSU 44-25.

"He got 43 rebounds in two games and fought like crazy," Calipari said. "And they were grabbing him and holding him all day. They finally started to call some of those in the second half."

Freshman guard Cason Wallace also had a big performance for UK, scoring 21 points, grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out four asissts. Freshman forward Chris Livingston was the only other Cat in double figures with 11 points.

*****

In this "Rapid Recap" feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK game...

KEY MOMENT:

With Kentucky leading 62-61 after a Cason Wallace layup with 2:43 remaining, Kansas State responded with back-to-back 3-pointers by Keyontae Johnson and Ismael Massoud to seize control. Once the lead shifted hands, the pressure to answer those shots seemed to mount for the blue-clad Wildcats. UK was outscored 14-7 down the stretch.

GAME BALL:

Markquis Nowell, Kansas State -- The 5-foot-9 guard "on a good day," as he put it, dominated the game with 27 points and nine assists. He made three 3-pointers and knocked down 10 of his 11 free throws.

BY THE NUMBERS:

1-2 - Kentucky's record in the NCAA Tournament as a 6 seed since seedings began in 1980.

3-12 - Record for the Cats when trailing at halftime this season. Kansas State trailed for much of the first half before surging ahead 29-26 at the break.

9-2 - Kentucky leads the all-time series with Kansas State, but the Big 12 Wildcats have won the last two matchups in the NCAA Tournament (2018 and 2023).

11 - First-half turnovers for UK. The Cats had just four in the second half.

12 & 12 - Ties and lead changes in the game.

20th - Double-double of the season for UK's Oscar Tshiebwe (25 points, 18 rebounds). He now has 48 for his career as a Wildcat, second all-time for the program. He is the only SEC player in the last 25 years to have multiple seasons with 20-plus double-doubles.

56% - Kansas State field goal shooting (14 of 25) in the second half.

QUOTABLE:

"It hurts you, but I don't want to put it on him. We had other guys that didn't post much either, so it wasn't just one guy." -- Kentucky head coach John Calipari on Antonio Reeves' 1-for-15 shooting day.

UP NEXT:

Kentucky begins the process of determining what the roster will look like in 2023-24. Everyone on the roster has an additional year of NCAA eligibility remaining, but not all are expected to return as John Calipari also has the nation's No. 1 recruiting class joining the program this summer. Will Oscar Tshiebwe make one more run with the Cats? Will Antonio Reeves return to give next year's team some proven scoring punch? Those are the questions that begin now.