411OnTheForty: Women’s basketball conference opener postponed, moves up to No. 22 in AP poll

AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas women’s basketball team continues to gain ground in the Associated Press top 25 poll, moving up one spot to No. 22 this week. It marked the third consecutive week the Longhorns have earned a promotion from the AP voters.

The fact that Texas moved up at all is something in which head coach Vic Schaefer’s squad can take some pride, as the Horns played just one game last week, a 73-48 victory over Idaho in Austin, with the anticipated Sunday showdown against Tennessee called off due to contact tracing in the Texas program.

That contact tracing turned into yet another postponement for Texas, as the conference opener against Kansas, slated for Thursday, was called off Monday. According to a statement released by the Texas athletics department, the decision was made due to the Big 12’s “interruption guidelines,” an indication that Covid-19 may have been at play, considering Kansas also called off its Monday contest against North Dakota State.

With that, Texas will have had 11 days between games, as next Monday’s road showdown with Kansas State will mark the Horns’ first game of Big 12 play. The Longhorns and Wildcats will meet for tip-off at 7 p.m. (Central time).