Texas fans were on their feet as graduate forward Kadin Shedrick dunked the ball with four seconds left on the clock, securing an 82–78 upset over No. 15 Kentucky.
With its third win against a ranked opponent this season, Texas enters its bye week with a bolstered resume for March Madness.
Four minutes before the end of the game, it didn’t look like Texas would be able to pull away with the needed win. The team was down by two possessions, and the momentum was shifted towards Kentucky.
But the Longhorns had been in that position before.
“When we’re able to do these comebacks at the end of the game like that, I think it just goes to show that we do have experience,” Shedrick said. “While we might not have much experience outside of this season playing together, I think that our individual experience comes in and helps bring us back into the game.”
Arkansas transfer graduate guard Tramon Mark’s experience in the Southeastern Conference has helped the team throughout the season, but tonight his experience was highlighted just like the yellow-highlighter sneakers he wore.
With two minutes on the clock, Mark’s mid-range jumper brought Texas trailing by one point. Mark then stole the ball from Kentucky and found himself on the free throw line shooting for two.
Easily making the two free throws, Mark got a season-high 26 points.
“It was more of a mentality thing, just being aggressive, being assertive, just making a move and sticking with it,” Mark said.
While he had a huge impact on the floor, for a moment, it seemed as though Mark would not be able to go back into the game. His aggression on the court had led to him taking a big hit early on.
“Give him a lot of credit for coming back. It was important. Thought he was completely out of the game,” head coach Rodney Terry said. “So this league is tough. And you know, they allow us to play very physical.”
Freshman guard Tre Johnson also played with a high level of physicality, pushing his way to the net and getting key rebounds to help the team.
Johnson missed one of his free throws in the final two minutes of the game but was there to rebound the ball and bounce it off the glass for Shedrick to dunk.
While Johnson was covered on the outside, not open to making his classic corner three-point shot, Johnson more than made up for it. Johnson got a career-high nine rebounds to make another career-high of 32 points.
“Us coming back in big moments is just our will not to lose,” Johnson said. “I had no problem, no doubt in my mind that we can make any comeback.”
Texas will get a bye week to recover from injuries racking up on its roster. The team will return on Feb. 22 against South Carolina on the road.
