Mark saves day, sends Texas to NCAA first round

DAYTON, Ohio -- The moment was getting to Texas.

Unable to handle the press or, seemingly, the pressure, the Longhorns had finally lost the lead, and their best defensive effort of the season was potentially going to waste as NC State had tied the score at 66 with 20.8 seconds left Tuesday night in their First Four game at UD Arena.

"When you get into March and you're in this tournament, the magnitude of being able to advance versus not can sometimes take over a player's mind," Texas coach Sean Miller said.

But sixth-year senior Tramon Mark's mind was resolute. As the final seconds ticked away, Mark liked the look he had, even with NC State's Tre Holloman lurking. He rose up from the right wing, and the ball swished through with 1.1 seconds left. Texas survived 68-66, preserving its season a little bit longer.

The No. 11 seed Longhorns advanced to face No. 6 BYU in a first-round West region matchup in the NCAA tournament Thursday in Portland, Oregon.

"I guard T-Mark every day [in practice], and he makes those shots on me," Texas guard Chendall Weaver said.

Hollomon was Mark's victim this time. Mark finished with a team-high 17 points, including four in the final 37 seconds after NC State finally got hot from long range.

According to ESPN Research, Mark's last jumper marked his fourth career game winner with less than five seconds remaining, and his first since 2025 against Texas A&M.

"This one is definitely [best] for me," Mark said. "The way the game was going, the way the game felt, we had a big lead, they started making some shots. And then I was able to silence the crowd with a big shot like that."

The big shots actually came late for both teams after a game that barely resembled the teams' first meeting. In that contest in November at the Maui Invitational, Texas and NC State combined for 199 points and 25 made 3-pointers, including 16 from the victorious Longhorns.

Tuesday brought a dramatically different tone until the final minutes. Texas didn't sink a field goal for the final 8:40 of the first half and saw a comfortable lead dwindle to one at the break. Neither team reached 50 points until Texas center Matas Vokietaitis swished a free throw with 7:42 remaining.

NC State had only three 3-pointers in the first 58:29 and then matched that in a minute with two shots from Paul McNeil Jr. and another from Darrion Williams.

"This might be, like, the first game that I can really look at and say we won because of our defense," Miller said. "When you play NC State, this year's team, you have to defend the 3-point shot. And if you really look at the game until the very, very end, it's the thing we did the very best, and that's what I think we can hang our hat on as we leave here."

Miller also recognized how tight the margin was Tuesday, and throughout the NCAA tournament. He has had teams play better than Texas did Tuesday in the tournament and go home for good.

His first Longhorns team hadn't been great in close games and had dropped a heartbreaker in overtime to Oklahoma to cap the regular season. But Miller also knows that with players such as Mark, there's always a chance to play on.

"As often is the case in this tournament, players make plays," Miller said. "And we're here in large part because the guy, Tramon Mark, made two incredible shots."

Texas needed Mark and Weaver, who recorded his first career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. He provided a bench boost on a night when top scorer Dailyn Swain struggled with his shot (2-of-9).

"I always tell them I have their backs, and tonight, they had mine," Swain said. "I didn't have my best game, but Chendall Weaver, the most impact on the court, and Travon Mark, when he put that shot up, I knew it was good."

Miller won in the First Four for the second straight year, with a different team. Last year, he guided Xavier past Texas, in a game he called "one of the greatest" he had witnessed. This time, his Longhorns prevailed after an even better ending.

Although last year's Xavier squad would lose its first-round matchup against Illinois, and Texas had a long night of travel ahead to the West Coast, Miller saw value in logging a game and finding a way to win, especially when the Longhorns weren't always at their best.

"There's power in playing a game in this tournament," Miller said. "Sometimes a player or a team is not themselves. It's just kind of like that. I don't want to say jitters, but March Madness looms big. Our nerves sometimes can settle through Game 1. You can gain confidence ... but we're going definitely have to play better than we played tonight."