DAYTON, Ohio — In a thrilling First Four game, Tramon Mark sank a fadeaway jumper with just 1.1 seconds remaining, helping Texas edge out North Carolina State 68-66 on Tuesday night. Both teams had entered March Madness in less-than-ideal form.
Mark was the standout for the Longhorns with 17 points, guiding the team to a record of 19-14. This marked their sixth NCAA Tournament appearance, out of which they have lost five. As the No. 11 seed in the West, Texas is set to face off against No. 6 seed BYU on Thursday in Portland, Oregon.
After Chendal Weaver’s free throws gave Texas a 62-53 advantage with 2:56 on the clock, the Wolfpack (20-14) rallied, scoring 10 points in just over a minute. Paul McNeil Jr. hit a couple of threes, but Mark responded with his clutch fadeaway as the shot clock expired.
Darrion Williams drained a three-pointer to close the gap to just one point. Subsequently, a forced turnover on Daylene Swain allowed Tre Holloman to tie the game at 66 after making one of two free throws.
In a tense finale, Texas managed to stall the clock effectively before Mark’s last shot, while NC State couldn’t get a shot off before the game ended.
Along with Mark’s 17 points, Matas Vokietaitis contributed 15 points, and Swain added 13. Weaver achieved his first double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Darrion Williams led NC State with 21 points, followed by Quadir Copeland with 16 and McNeil with 11.
This was the second matchup between these teams this season; Texas had previously outscored NC State 102-97 on November 26 at the Maui Invitational. The game on Tuesday was marked by strong defense on both sides.
Texas initially took a 25-15 lead but stagnated, failing to score until the closing minutes of the first half. The Wolfpack responded with a 14-5 run to end the half, narrowing the gap to 30-29.
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For Coach Sean Miller, this is his third program to lead in March Madness. He’ll need a solid strategy to handle BYU’s AJ Divanza, a standout player in the league.
