It didn’t take long for March Madness 2026 to deliver some thrilling end-of-game drama.
In the First Four matchup between No. 11 seeds Texas and NC State in Dayton, Ohio, the Longhorns escaped with a 68-66 win courtesy of senior guard Tramon Mark’s tough game-winning jumper with 1.1 seconds to go.
Mark drilled an arguably tougher, turnaround foul-line shot to put the Longhorns up by four just two possessions prior, but his heroics shouldn’t have even been necessary. Texas was just about in cruise control up 62-53 with under two minutes remaining when NC State’s dormant offense and vaunted three-point shooting finally woke up, rattling off four consecutive three-point possessions to claw their way back. Texas turned it over twice as they repeatedly struggled to handle NC State’s full court press.
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Will Wade’s team scarcely led the entire night, but after Dailyn Swain lost the ball out of bounds while trapped in the back court, NC State had the chance for the lead in the closing seconds. Tre Holloman was fouled on his way to the hoop with 17 seconds to go, but he picked a brutal time to miss his first free throw after going 5/5, and his tying free throw proved to be for naught. Darrion Williams’ desperation attempt was blocked, putting a disappointing wrap on a game-high 21-point night and his college career.
Needless to say, this game couldn’t have looked any more different from their regular season meeting, which Texas won a 102-97 in regulation at the Maui Invitational way back in November, but the rematch in Dayton saw both offenses fail to hit 40 percent from the floor. It was an ugly game with a chaotic finish befitting of March Madness. For first-year head coach Sean Miller, he’s advanced Texas beyond the First Four a year after he eliminated them at the same stage when he coached Xavier.
While the Longhorns got the win to keep their season alive, they will not have much time to celebrate. They will make the long trip out to Portland, Oregon, where they will face the nation’s leading scorer A.J. Dybantsa and No. 6 seed BYU on Thursday afternoon.
