The Longhorns defeated the Cougars by a score of 79 to 71, and despite BYU's A.J. Dybantsa playing lights out, Sean Miller's game plan of "shut down everyone except Dybantsa" surprisingly worked.
Though Texas' Matas Vokietaitis was unstoppable in the paint tonight, it was Tramon Mark who stood out consistently all game long for his ferocious defense and clutch shooting. He was incredibly annoying to BYU's ball-handlers for the entirety of the game, and he was able to use his length and athleticism to block four shots tonight as well.
On offense, he did what he always does, which is make clutch shots in tough situations. There are only a handful of players in the tournament who I'd want to give the ball to when we're down by 1 with 2 seconds left, and Mark is definitely one of them.
The best part about it is that he knows that he's clutch and he embraces it every week. Here's what he said following the BYU upset tonight:
"Four blocks just came. That's what happens when you play hard. The last-second shots I get, I feel comfortable with them, and they're going in. That's all I can say."
This isn't the first time that he's said this type of thing, and it's also not the first time that he's stepped up to the plate when Texas needs him the most.
He hit the game-winner against North Carolina State as well, leading to the Longhorns having a head full of steam tonight before tipoff. Mark continues to say this type of stuff every week, and so far, nobody has been able to stop him when it matters most.