Bevo’s Daily Roundup: Texas volleyball continues their championship push

The No. 2 seeded Texas Longhorns volleyball team may have what it takes to win it all.

Later this afternoon, the team will take on the Louisville Cardinals in the regional semifinal at home in Gregory Gym, where the winner will take on either No. 7 Florida or No. 10 Minnesota in Saturday’s regional final matchup.

In the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, Texas walked all over the Albany Great Danes in three straight sets, only to be forced to rally from behind and win back-to-back sets against University of California, Santa Barbara last Friday.

WHAT THE WISE MEN ARE SAYING ABOUT LONGHORNS FOOTBALL

Houston Chronicle: Gap between Longhorns, Sooners widening on gridiron

NEWS FROM ELSEWHERE IN LONGHORN LAND AND THE BIG 12

• Early signing day is nearly upon us. In fact, it’s next week. In a three-day window from Dec. 18 to Dec. 20, roughly 80 percent other the nation’s top football talent coming out of high school will officially ink their FBS destinations. The Longhorns, according to ESPN’s rankings, currently ranks as the sixth strongest recruiting class in the country. Aside from the College Football Playoff bound Oklahoma, which is ranked eleventh in recruiting rankings, the Longhorns are the only Big 12 Conference team to earn a ranking within the top-25. Even so, signing day will come with a few surprises from recruits. Judging by one of his tweets, it seems as though defensive end Princely Umanmielen has already made up his mind.

• In commemoration of 150 years of college football, the Football Bowl Association compiled a list of the sport’s 25 greatest moments. Perhaps unsurprisingly, former Texas quarterback Vince Young’s fourth down run late in the fourth quarter of the 2006 Rose Bowl that clinched the national championship win against the USC Trojans earned the recognition for most memorable bowl moment. For us, Longhorn fans, the moment continues to live in infamy.

• Texas men’s basketball (8-1) will take on the Central Michigan Chippewas (7-3) on Saturday afternoon. The Longhorns will enter the game on a five-game winning streak. Even so, the men’s team’s efforts haven’t been enough to earn them a ranking this season. The game tips off at 1 p.m. Central Saturday at the Frank Erwin Center. Viewers can tune in on the Longhorn Network or stream the game at WatchESPN. “It’s a really important time for us to continue to work on growth as a basketball team, growth individually,” head coach Shaka Smart said during a press conference earlier this week. “And then obviously when game time comes carry over. That’s kind of been the theme with our guys – growth, carry over, growth, carry over. Where we are right now, nine games into the year, is obviously still a work in progress.”

• Texas Tech Red Raiders quarterback Jett Duffey, a redshirt junior, has opted to enter the transfer portal, The Athletic reports. After Texas Tech quarterback Alan Bowman went down with an injury, Duffey stepped up and under center, where he threw for 2,716 yards, 18 touchdown passes and five interceptions in eight games, averaging 340 yards per game.

• Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones is licking his chops at the mention of two Big 12 Conference coaches: Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley and Baylor head coach Matt Rhule. “I am impressed with [Riley] but boy, I’m impressed with Baylor’s [Matt] Rhule too,” Jones said during a radio interview this week. “Two outstanding coaches at the stadium this week.” With the departure of either program head to the Cowboys, the college football landscape – in particular the Big 12 Conference – would shift dramatically.

• Former Missouri head coach Barry Odom will join new hire Sam Pittman’s coaching staff with the Arkansas Razorbacks as a defensive coordinator, Football Scoops reports. Prior to his time at Missouri, he was defensive coordinator for the Memphis Tigers. Odom’s name was among those that’d received buzz around Texas’ open defensive coordinator job after head coach Tom Herman opted to fire Todd Orlando at the regular season’s conclusion.