Tramon Mark’s clutch jumper lifted Texas past NC State in the First Four, sending the Longhorns into a dangerous NCAA Tournament showdown with BYU.
Texas basketball looked ready to let another game slip into the dark. Then Tramon Mark decided the season wasn’t over yet.
With the NCAA Tournament First Four turning into a full-blown knife fight Tuesday night, Mark buried a cold-blooded jumper with 1.1 seconds left to lift the Texas Longhorns past NC State, 68-66, in Dayton.
It wasn’t pretty, and honestly, it didn’t need to be. March is about surviving, and Texas found a way to do exactly that.
The Longhorns now move on as the No. 11 seed and will face BYU on Thursday in Portland.
Mark finished with 17 points, and none were bigger than the final two. After Texas nearly coughed up a game it once controlled, the senior guard stepped into the moment and delivered the kind of shot that keeps seasons alive and fan bases screaming.
That’s what makes March different. One possession can wipe away 39 minutes of stress.
Texas had built a 62-53 lead with 2:56 remaining, only to watch NC State punch back with stunning speed. Paul McNeil Jr. drilled two huge 3-pointers, and the Wolfpack ripped off 10 points in 1:12 to turn the game into chaos.
Darrion Williams, who led NC State with 21 points, kept applying pressure, while Tre Holloman tied it at 66 with a free throw after a costly Texas turnover.
That could’ve been the moment Texas folded. Instead, Mark made sure it became his.
The Longhorns also got major contributions from Matas Vokietaitis, who scored 15 points, and Dailyn Swain, who added 13. Chendall Weaver chipped in 11 points and 10 rebounds for his first career double-double, giving Texas the kind of grit it needed when the offense stalled.
Now comes a much bigger challenge. Sean Miller has Texas back in the bracket, but waiting next is a BYU team led by elite star AJ Dybantsa.
Texas survived the mess. The reward is another heavyweight problem.