HOUSTON — With four seconds left on the game clock, the fate of Memphis’ NCAA Tournament seed rested in PJ Carter’s hands.

Nope, it wasn’t either of the star guard duo of PJ Haggerty and Tyrese Hunter. Or sharpshooter Colby Rogers. Or even another one of the team’s starters.

It was Carter, a player who’d logged more than 15 minutes in only a handful of games this season, who stood at the free-throw line Sunday afternoon at Tudor Fieldhouse with his team leading by just one point in the closing moments of a game against Rice.

Memphis escapes with close road victory against Rice

As the student section in front of him jeered, Carter took a deep breath before attempting a pair of free throws that Memphis needed to ensure its hopes of earning a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament would remain alive.

The first? Bottoms. The second? Good, too.

Then, as Rice’s Trae Broadnax tried to loft up a heave from beyond halfcourt on the next play in an attempt to force overtime, Carter poked the ball loose before dribbling out the clock. 

It allowed the No. 19 Tigers (18-4, 8-1 AAC) to escape with an 86-83 win over the Owls (11-11, 2-7 AAC) and avoid a disastrous Quadrant 3 loss that would’ve put a sizable dent on their postseason resume and almost certainly knocked them out of Monday’s Associated Press Top 25.

But while some watching along may have been surprised that Carter — who finished with 19 points and hit five 3-pointers in his third straight game scoring in double figures — played hero, almost no one inside Memphis’ program was shocked.

“Man, he is an unbelievable weapon,” coach Penny Hardaway said afterward. “This is who we knew he could be when we brought him here. … And he’s doing it on a big level — he’s not afraid of the moment.”