On Tuesday night at University of Dayton Arena, graduate guard Tramon Mark launched a jumper from the right wing with 1.1 seconds left to lift Texas to a 68–66 victory over NC State in the NCAA Tournament First Four.
The victory bumps the Longhorns (19–14) to the West Region First Round, where they will meet No. 6 seed BYU in Portland on Thursday at 6:25 p.m. CST on TBS.
Mark ended the game with a team-high 17 points, making 7-of-14 shots, including 2-of-5 from three-point range. He recorded five rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks in 33 minutes. The basket was his fifth career game-winner, previous buzzer-beaters having arrived at Houston, Arkansas, and earlier this season at Texas.
Chendall Weaver recorded a double-double for the first time in his career, 11 points and a career-high-tying 10 rebounds and two steals in 27 minutes. Matas Vokietaitis made 15 points and eight rebounds in 26 minutes off the bench, and Dailyn Swain scored 13 points, eight boards, four assists and two steals in 38 minutes. Texas opened an early 9–2 advantage after a 9–0 stretch that was capped by a three-pointer by Camden Heide.
Following NC State’s cut to 12–9, the Longhorns expanded the edge to 25–15 with a 13–6 spurt, holding a 30–29 margin at halftime after the Wolfpack closed the period on a 6–0 run. Early in the second half, NC State briefly held a 34–32 lead, but Texas reclaimed the lead with a 7–0 run. With 2:56 to go, the Longhorns were up as much as nine points, at 62–53, before the Wolfpack had a 13–3 rally that put the game at 66–66 on a Tre Holloman free throw with 18 seconds left. Mark dribbled from the top of the key on the final possession, pulled up from 18 feet on the right wing and buried the go-ahead jumper. NC State’s last heave missed as time expired, and Texas was sealed for the next round.
