Tuesday’s First Four nightcap between the 11-seeds Texas and NC State was not the most pleasing to watch, but it came down to the wire in what turned out to be an instant classic.
Senior guard Chendall Weaver brought the energy with 11 points and 10 rebounds off the bench, but it was the heroics from senior guard Tramon Mark that helped the Longhorns escape with the 68-66 win over the Wolfpack.
Mark had a team-high 17 points (7-of-14 FG), but his most important shot of the day — a contested 19-footer — proved to be the game-winner with one second remaining.
Tramon Mark bails out Texas with game-winner against NC State
After the Wolfpack knocked down three triples within one minute in the closing stretch, senior guard Tre Holloman hit one of two free throws to tie the game at 66 with 18 seconds to play.
That is when Mark put the game in his hands and drilled the clutch jumper, officially recording his fifth career game-winning shot to send the Longhorns into Thursday’s first-round showdown against freshman sensation AJ Dybantsa and six-seed BYU.
