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Arkansas

Arkansas' Tramon Mark hits game-winning shot to beat Texas A&M

IMG_0985by:Griffin McVeigh•01/16/24•

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Tramon Mark
(Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports)

Up 20 points in the first half, Arkansas thought they would be cruising to a win against Texas A&M. But coming out of the halftime locker room, Eric Musselman saw his team flirt with disaster. Wade Taylor hit a shot with under 10 seconds remaining, giving the Aggies a one-point lead.

After a timeout, Musselman went to the hot hand, giving the ball to Tramon Mark. Dribbling to his left, Mark got into the paint before rising up and hitting what would become the game-winning bucket. Texas A&M did not a shot off at the other end, struggling to get the ball in-bounds before the buzzer sounded.

Everyone in Fayetteville will be thankful Mark hit the shot, with Arkansas desperately needing the win. Starting the season with an 0-4 record in the SEC would have been devastating, especially after having such a huge lead in your own arena.

You can check out the shot from Mark here.

“We talked about it,” Musselman said on Mark’s shot during a postgame interview with SEC Network. “An eternity. Do not settle for anything [outside] of 12-foot. Try to put pressure on the rim. If not, go for a midrange pull-up. We got the ball in the hands of the guy we wanted to. Just a phenomenal shot.”

Arkansas now moves into the weekend with a 1-3 record in the SEC, matching the worst start to conference play the program has seen under Musselman. In fact, it’s occurred three seasons in a row now but somehow the Razorbacks have still found a way to have success in the NCAA Tournament — making an Elite Eight in 2022 and the Sweet Sixteen in 2023.

Had Mark not hit his jump shot, Arkansas likely have fallen to 0-4 and would have had to overcome a hole they never have. Based on how Musselman was speaking during his interview, you could tell getting the win was important to him.

“Look, our team has struggled for sure,” Musselman said. “This is where we have been every year. We’ll see if we can turn this thing around. This was a start in the right direction.”

The schedule does not get much easier for Arkansas, facing South Carolina on Saturday. While they fell to 2-2 in SEC play following a loss to Georgia, Lamont Paris has his team playing high-level basketball at the moment.

And with where Arkansas is, it’s the type of game that can make or break an NCAA Tournament bid. For now, the celebration will surround Mark hitting the shot against Texas A&M. But everyone is hoping it’s just the stepping stone the Hogs needed.