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Photo: Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports The Texas Longhorns (7-1, 0-0 Big 12) will host the Rice Owls (6-2, 0-1 C-USA) at the Moody Center on Monday night. Texas dropped their first game of the season last week, falling to #17 Illinois in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden. The 'Horns bounced back with a 88-43 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Saturday, as part of the Jimmy Blacklock Classic in Austin. The game against the Owls comes as the second game for Texas in the Blacklock Classic at Moody Center, where Texas is undefeated on the season. What: #7 Texas Longhorns ((7-1, 0-0 Big 12) vs. Rice Owls (6-2, 0-1 C-USA) When: Monday, December 12, 2022 Time: 7:00 PM Venue: Moody Center Location: Austin, TX TV: Longhorn Network Series Record: Texas leads Rice 138-59 Last Meeting: Texas defeated Rice 66-55 (December 29, 2014 - Austin, TX)

As if it needed any additional hype, tonight's game between the Longhorns and the Red Raiders will likely include added security for the Texas players and head coach Chris Beard. Beard, who is making his first trip back to Lubbock since leaving the Red Raiders for the Texas job, is the center of Tech fans' anger and rage (for some reason). The Red Raiders appear to be doing just fine under new head coach Mark Adams. They boast a 16-5 overall record and a 5-3 record in conference. Beard served as head coach in Lubbock for for five years and was an assistant coach for the Red Raiders for 110 years. He amassed a 112-55 record as head coach there and guided his teams to the Elite Eight in 2018 and the NCAA Championship Game in 2019. The Longhorns are 16-5 overall and 5-3 in Big 12 play and bring a 3-game win streak into the contest. Game tip is at 8:00 PM CST at United Supermarkets Arena and will be televised on ESPN2.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports The Texas Longhorns had three players taken in the NBA Draft on Thursday evening, tying a school record for selections on draft night. Kai Jones, Greg Brown and Jericho Sims were all selected tying Florida State with the most players selected in this year's draft. Jones was grabbed with the 19th pick by the New York Knicks in the first round but was traded to the Charlotte Hornets. He spent two seasons at Texas and averaged 6.2 points, 4 rebounds and one block in 19.8 minutes per game. Jones raised his draft stock last season, playing in 26 of 27 games and earned an honorable mention and Sixth Man Award from the Big 12. With Jones' selection, the Longhorns now have 19 first round NBA picks. After playing just one season with the Longhorns, forward Greg Brown III was picked by the New Orleans Pelicans with the #43 pick in the second round. Brown's draft rights were then traded to the Portland Trailblazers. Brown, a former 5-star recruit and McDonald's All-American, played in 26 games and averaged 6.2 rebounds and 9.3 points per game. He received honorable mention honors and was one of five players selected to the Big 12's Newcomer of the Year team. Jericho Sims capped the trio of Longhorns drafted, with the New York Knicks selecting the four-year letterwinner with the 58th overall pick. In his four years at Texas he played in 119 games with 77 starts and averaged 6.6 points and 5.4 rebounds in 20.5 minutes played per game. He was an honorable Big 12 mention in his junior and senior seasons and earned his bachelor's degree in May.

Photo: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports The Texas Longhorns have a new head basketball coach in Chris Beard and they will welcome a former coach back to the Frank Erwin Center on Saturday, January 29th. Announced on Wednesday, the annual Big 12/SEC Challenge basketball matchups were made public. The pairings feature the Longhorns hosting the Tennessee Volunteers, coached by former Texas head Coach Rick Barnes. The matchup will mark the return of Barnes, the winningest coach in Texas basketball history, to the Erwin Center for the first time since he was replaced by Shaka Smart and took the same job at Tennessee. Barnes spent 17 seasons in Austin at the helm of the program, taking the Longhorns to the NCAA tournament 16 times including 3 Sweet 16 appearances. His 2003 team which included TJ Ford, made it to the Final Four before losing to Carmelo Anthony and Syracuse 95-84. At Tennessee, Barnes boasts a 123–73 record and was named the Naismith College Coach of the Year for the 2018-2019 season after a 31-6 record which included a trip to the Sweet 16. All games part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge will be broadcast on the ESPN family of networks.

Photo: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports New University of Texas Men's Basketball coach Chris Beard continues to strike gold in the transfer portal, this time securing UMass transfer Tre Mitchell. Mitchell, a 6-9 240 lb. center, entered the transfer portal in March, and whittled down his top schools to LSU, Texas, Georgia, Florida State, Bryant and Illinois. He took an official visit to Austin last weekend and committed to the Longhorns just days later. Mitchell played high school ball at Woodstock Academy in Connecticut and was a consensus 4-star prospect before committing to UMass. He played two seasons with the Minutemen, where he averaged averaged 17.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game as a freshman. During his sophomore season he increased his production, averaging 18.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. Mitchell becomes the fifth transfer portal player to join the Texas roster since Chris Beard's hiring.

Photo: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports Five star recruit and Vandergrift High School (Austin, TX) product Greg Brown III announced his decision to turn pro and enter the 2021 NBA Draft. Brown, a 6-9, 205 lb. forward, spent his only college season with the Longhorns under head coach Shaka Smart. He started in 24 of the 26 games he played in and averaged 9.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. His Instagram post announcing his intent to turn pro, shared the following message: "First off, I would like to thank the University of Texas for the historical year and all the great memories. I will cherish them forever. I have decided to chase my dreams and enter the 2021 NBA Draft and sign with BDA Sports. #hookemforever" Brown is projected as a mid-late first round draft pick.

Photo: Kelsey Kremer/The Register via Imagn Content Services Texas forward Kai Jones announced his departure from the program on Wednesday evening, opting to forego his final two seasons with the Longhorns to enter 2021 NBA Draft. Jones, a 6-11, 218 lb. Nassau, Bahamas native, improved his draft stock substantially this season, helping the Longhorns win the Big 12 Tournament and subsequently earning a 3-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Jones averaged 8.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game while shooting 58%, including 38.2% from three-point range. Most draft services have Jones expected to be drafted in the mid-late first round. Jones' full statement: "It was truly an honor to represent the Texas Longhorns for the past two seasons and suit up with my brothers night in and night out. I want to thank Coach Smart, the staff and my teammates for pushing me and helping me grown on ad off the court. I feel like I’ve improve as a player, a teammate and a person as a Longhorn. My time here has set me up to be successful as a take the next steps in my career.” "Since I can remember, having the chance to play in the National Basketball Association has been my dream. Growing up in the Bahamas, not many of my peers have had the opportunity that I have in front of me now, the ability to achieve those dreams. And for that I want to thank my family, especially my mom and dad, for providing me the opportunity to be in the position I am in today. My story is just beginning, but I’ve already come so far and my journey to this point truly has prepared me for this moment." "With that being said, I will be declaring for the 2021 NBA Draft! I will be relinquishing my collegiate eligibility and intend to sign with an agent, but it’s forever #HookEm."