Texas responds to Andrew Jones' cancer diagnosis with emotional 2OT win

Texas escaped with a 99-98 double-overtime win against TCU on Wednesday, capping a draining day that left Longhorns coach Shaka Smart in tears, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

The university announced earlier in the day that freshman Andrew Jones has been diagnosed with leukemia.

Starting four freshmen among only seven active players for the game, the Longhorns wore a special “AJ1” patch on their jerseys, and after they survived on a missed layup at the buzzer by TCU's Jaylen Fisher, Smart couldn't contain his emotions any longer.

"Our guys really wanted to win for Andrew," Smart said (via ESPN.com). "He's the one that's been on our minds and in our hearts, and I'm really proud of the way they fought. I hope Drew's listening right now. I hope he knows we love him."

Before the game, Texas left an open seat on its bench with Jones' jersey draped on the back. After the razor-close victory, Longhorns Dylan Osetkowski and Eric Davis grabbed the jersey and held it aloft as players sang "The Eyes of Texas" with the home crowd.

"It didn't matter how long it would take. We wanted to get the win," Osetkowski said. "Everybody left everything on the line tonight."

Texas said only that Jones has started treatment but released no more details on his condition or prognosis as his family requested privacy, according to American-Statesman.

"Andrew's the best fighter on our team. He's got a fight ahead of him. I know he's really gonna fight. And our guys really fed off of his spirit tonight," Smart said.