LIVE UPDATES: Texas basketball vs. NC State First Four Analysis

Dayton, Ohio — Senior guard Tramon Mark authored the closing chapter Texas desperately needed, burying a 19-foot step-back jumper with 1.1 seconds remaining to lift the Longhorns past NC State 68-66 in Wednesday’s First Four thriller at UD Arena and punch their ticket to the full NCAA Tournament field.

The shot salvaged a night that appeared lost moments earlier. After Chendall Weaver’s two free throws stretched the Longhorns’ cushion to 62-53 with 2:56 left, NC State sprang into a full-court press that rattled Texas into turnovers, bad spacing and hurried decisions. Two Wolfpack steals and a Paul McNeil Jr. corner triple trimmed the deficit to two, and when Darrion Williams followed with another deep ball, the game was suddenly 66-65. Tre Holloman’s free throw with 18 seconds left knotted it at 66, setting the stage for Mark’s heroics.

Mark, who had already snapped a 66-all tie with a turnaround jumper against the shot clock, took an inbound with 4.2 seconds left, sized up his defender atop the key, stepped back and let fly. The ball ripped net, UD Arena erupted, and Texas escaped a collapse that had seen a nine-point lead vanish in under three minutes.

First-year coach Sean Miller, who last March guided Xavier past Texas in this very round, now advances out of the First Four wearing Burnt Orange. “We’re not able to get the benefits of our physicality simply because we’re turning the ball over too much,” Miller told truTV’s Jenny Dell late in the first half, a prophecy that nearly doomed his club before Mark intervened.

The contest was a study in momentum swings. Texas opened on a 9-0 burst behind triples from Tramon Mark, Jordan Pope and Camden Heide, only to see NC State claw within one by the under-12 timeout. The Longhorns rebuilt a 10-point edge, yet the Wolfpack answered each run, taking their first lead since 2-0 on a McNeil three that made it 34-32 late in the half.

Matas Vokietaitis gave Texas a interior boost, earning praise from broadcasters Dick Vitale and Charles Barkley for his footwork and finishing. The 7-footer’s conventional three-point play early in the second half restored a five-point edge, and his dunk plus Weaver’s subsequent free throws pushed the margin to 60-53 with 3:47 to play. Vokietaitis, however, fouled out on a reach-in against Holloman, forcing Miller to go small down the stretch.

Foul trouble haunted NC State all evening; the Wolfpack were whistled 17 times to Texas’ 10, and forward Musa Sagnia joined Vokietaitis on the bench after disqualification. The disparity allowed Texas to live at the stripe, offsetting 16 turnovers that repeatedly handed NC State extra possessions.

Williams carried the Wolfpack for long stretches, scoring 10 of the team’s first 12 points and finishing as the lone NC State player in double figures. McNeil’s late flurry—two critical threes in the final 90 seconds—nearly capped a stunning comeback, but Texas’ senior guard had the final word.

With the win, No. 11 seed Texas (21-14) advances to face No. 6 BYU Thursday at 6:25 p.m. CT in Portland’s Moda Center, live on TBS. The Longhorns will need to solve their press-break woes before tipping off against the Cougars, but for one night in Dayton, Tramon Mark ensured their season lives on.