Tre Johnson, Tramon Mark keep Texas' NCAA Tournament chances alive in overtime win vs. Mississippi State

The Longhorns needed someone else to step up. Amidst a late-game collapse at a top-25 opponent, the Longhorns needed someone to join Tre Johnson in providing the type of effort needed to win road games in the SEC.

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Tramon Mark did just that. Mark scored 24 points on 9-for-13 shooting, including five in the overtime period, to help Texas leave Starkville with an 87-82 win over the No. 25 Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Texas WINS!

87-82 Longhorns pic.twitter.com/PUbfuuuw1g

— Inside Texas (@InsideTexas) March 5, 2025

The win was as sloppy as they come. Texas committed 12 turnovers in the second half, including three in the final two minutes. The third and final one, committed by Jordan Pope in the inbounds pass, was picked off by RJ Melendez and turned into a Riley Kugel layup to make it 71-71 as regulation ended.

That was after Texas built leads of 11 points with 14:40 left, 12 points with 13:24 remaining, nine points with 4:44 remaining, and four points with 16 seconds remaining. Mississippi State fought back each time, with some thanks to Texas’ inability to achieve simple tasks like crossing the timeline in 10 seconds, but the Longhorns were able to do just enough thanks to Mark and Johnson. Johnson added 23 points on 8-for-16 shooting in 43 minutes.

Texas received 10 points from Kadin Shedrick, including a pivotal score in overtime with 1:07 left. Shedrick accomplished that point total in just 22 minutes. Arthur Kaluma posted 10 points and 11 rebounds. Jayson Kent played one of his best games, scoring nine points and pulling down 10 rebounds and posting a plus-18 +/-. Pope had nine points.

Mark’s effect was not only seen in overtime. He scored nine points in the final eight minutes to keep the Longhorns’ head above water. Texas made several mistakes rarely seen at the college level, including two 10 second violations against the Bulldogs’ 2-2-1 press with one coming off of a live-ball rebound. Mark’s one-handed jumper with 16 seconds left gave Texas the four points need it would require to overcome its major mistakes in the final moments of regulation.

Mark’s efforts made sure Texas got to overtime and helped the Horns earn the needed win after regulation. His two free throws with 21 seconds left in the overtime period put Texas up three, and after Josh Hubbard missed a three-point attempt over Shedrick with 10 seconds left, Kaluma hit two free throws on the other end to put the game at its final margin.

Texas was 31-for-64 from the field but an all-important 4-for-7 in overtime. Texas was 11-for-23 from three and 2-for-3 in overtime. The Horns were only 14-for-23 from the line but hit 6-of-9 attempts in the extra period.

Mississippi State had six players in double-figures, with Hubbard scoring 16. The Bulldogs were 22-for-28 from the free throw line but were only 39 percent from the field for the contest and a mediocre 6-for-25 from three.

Despite not being in the starting lineup, Kent played one of his best halves of basketball in the first 20 minutes in Starkville. He was active on the offensive and defensive boards, in on- and off-ball defense, and away from the ball when Texas had possession. He scored nine points on 4-for-7 shooting, pulled down six rebounds (five offensive) and logged two steals.

Johnson was his normal, phenomenal self to start, scoring from multiple levels. He had 10 points in the opening period on 4-of-8 shooting with a 2-for-4 mark from three.

Texas trailed by as much as eight in the first half but rode an 11-3 run around 10 minutes into the game and an 11-0 run to close the half with a 37-32 lead.

Shedrick picked up two fouls in two minutes of action, sitting for most of the first half. While Ze’Rik Onyema earned some minutes, Rodney Terry elected to play Nic Codie for a longer period of time. When Codie was substituted off, it wasn’t for Onyema but rather for another forward so Texas could use a small lineup. The Longhorns were able to outscore the Bulldogs 17-11 over the final eight minutes of the first half as a result.

The win improved Texas to 17-13 overall and 6-11 in SEC play. Texas was recently described as one of the last four teams in the tournament. A 7-11 record could be enough to sneak into the tournament, but it would require a win over the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday.

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Without the win in Starkville on Tuesday, that opportunity would not be available this weekend. And without Mark and Johnson, Texas isn’t getting that win in Starkville.