Lubbock, Texas – Bob Knight’s quest for record-setting victory No. 880 will have to wait until 2007.
Knight’s Texas Tech team fell behind UNLV early and never recovered, losing 74-66 Thursday night to leave him tied with Dean Smith atop the men’s Division I win list.
The Red Raiders trailed by 19 almost midway through the second half, and the frustration might have gotten to Knight because he got his first technical of the season with 3:54 left. However, Tech was starting to rally then and kept it up, getting within 68-62 with 1:38 left. UNLV protected its lead by making six consecutive foul shots.
Knight’s next chance to own the record by himself comes Monday in a New Year’s Day game at home against New Mexico.
History is on his side because he has never needed more than two tries to hit milestones such as victories 300, 400, 600, 700 and 800.
His first shot at this milestone drew a crowd of 15,098, one of the largest in school history, and included Knight pals Steve Alford, John Havlicek, Jerry Tarkanian and Fuzzy Zoeller. The usually staid fans were into it from the start, giving Knight a standing ovation when he emerged before the game, with some chanting “Bob-by!” Three students painted their bodies red and spelled out 8-8-0 in black on their chests.
But Knight’s motion offense and man-to-man defense both let him down. Tech (10-4) came in as the nation’s most-accurate 3-point shooting team, but made only 1-of-12. UNLV (12-2) was 11-of-25 from behind the arc.
The Rebels, who won their eighth straight, were making only a third of their 3s coming in and were 4-of-18 in their previous game, but their game plan was based around the long ball. Five of their first seven baskets were 3s, and they didn’t go to the foul line until there was 8:13 left in the game.
By then, several hundred fans already had made their way to the exits.
