After the curling stones came to rest, the path to the medal rounds became clearer.
The men’s team, having completed all nine of their round-robin matches, now requires either Italy or Norway to lose to the already-qualified Switzerland or Canada, respectively, on Thursday morning.
Should one of these scenarios unfold, Mouat’s men will advance to the last four later in the day, their mettle tested and their hopes of upgrading their silver medal from four years prior reinvigorated.
“This is an unenviable position, watching other games and hoping outcomes favor us,” the British skip confided to BBC Sport. “But we simply have to keep our fingers and toes crossed and await developments.”
The women’s team, conversely, still faces their own tasks on Thursday.
They must secure a third consecutive victory against host nation Italy (at 13:05 GMT) and also hope Switzerland defeats the US to qualify for Friday’s semi-finals.
This relatively new rink, with only Jen Dodds remaining from the 2022 gold-medal winning team, finished sixth in last year’s World Championships and appears to be hitting their stride at a crucial moment.
Morrison, especially, has truly blossomed in this tournament, with her decisive shot-making underpinning Wednesday’s two wins that have propelled the team back into contention for a medal.
“That was the authentic Team Morrison out there,” Dodds informed BBC Sport. “While we possess the skill to win even when we’re not at our best, tonight’s performance is how we truly enjoy playing.
“Now, we eagerly anticipate tomorrow and will embrace the moment and the atmosphere.”