The Texas Longhorns made the most of their first SEC Tournament appearance, pulling off a thrilling 94-89 double-overtime victory over No. 14 Texas A&M in the second round on Thursday. Tre Johnson’s clutch three-pointer with 2:08 remaining in the second overtime sealed the win, sending the Longhorns into the quarterfinals, where they will face No. 4 seed and eighth-ranked Tennessee.
Coming into the tournament as the No. 13 seed, Texas (19-14) was on the NCAA Tournament bubble, needing wins to bolster its resume anh ed potentially save head coach Rodney Terry’s job. This victory over a ranked opponent improves the Longhorns’ case significantly, giving them a crucial win in March.
Johnson led Texas with 20 points, while Tramon Mark added 15. Kadin Shedrick contributed 14 points, including a game-saving dunk with 4.6 seconds left in the first overtime to force another extra period. Jordan Pope also chipped in with 13 points in the victory.
Texas A&M (22-10) saw a stellar performance from Wade Taylor IV, who poured in 29 points, including a remarkable 17-for-18 showing at the free-throw line. In the process, he became the SEC Tournament’s all-time career scoring leader. However, the Aggies struggled late, missing seven of their final eight shots in the second overtime.
Manny Obaseki scored 17 points before fouling out, while Anders Garcia and Henry Coleman III added 13 and 10 points, respectively. Coleman also pulled down 13 rebounds in the losing effort.
Tramon Mark had a chance to win it in regulation, but his short jumper bounced off the rim as time expired. Shedrick’s dunk with 4.6 seconds left in the first overtime saved Texas and extended the game. The Aggies missed seven of their last eight shots in the second overtime, allowing Texas to pull away. The Aggies have been one of the SEC’s most consistent postseason teams, going 7-3 in their last three tournaments, including back-to-back finals appearances in 2022 and 2023.
The Longhorns now face a tough test against Tennessee in the quarterfinals. They lost to the Volunteers by four in their regular-season meeting. The Aggies will await their NCAA Tournament seeding, where they are still projected to receive a solid placement.
With their season on the line, Texas delivered a memorable performance in Nashville. Now, they look to keep their SEC Tournament run alive against one of the conference’s best.
