Chicago ? This is one victory Steve Alford won’t savor.

Alford earned his first win over former coach and mentor Bob Knight with No. 17 Iowa’s 83-53 rout of Texas Tech on Tuesday night, and it was just as strange as Alford imagined it would be.

“Coaches have many, many players, but players only have one college coach,” Alford said. “So I’m happy for the team, I’m happy for the players. But it’s a little bittersweet for me. I still much more enjoy being on coach Knight’s side than going against him.”

But “The General” obviously has taught his prized pupil well. Iowa (10-1) handed the Red Raiders (5-3) their worst loss since March 9, 2002, when they lost, 90-50, to then-No. 1 Kansas in the Big 12 Conference tournament. The 53 points were their fewest since Jan. 11, 2003, when they lost, 68-44, to Kansas State.

Iowa had a double-digit lead less than seven minutes in and didn’t let up the rest of the way, harassing the Red Raiders offensively and defensively. Texas Tech shot less than 36 percent and had 21 turnovers, 16 in the first half.

Adam Haluska matched his career-high with 21 points, Pierre Pierce added 15, and Erek Hansen had six of Iowa’s 10 blocks, one shy of the school record. It was the seventh straight victory for the Hawkeyes, who won despite an off night from leading scorer Jeff Horner. Horner finished with a season-low seven points, nine below his average, on 3-of-14 shooting.

“Steve’s team … I think they’ve done a really good job with it,” said Knight, who shook hands with his former player after the buzzer sounded.

At least Knight can take comfort knowing that he has had a hand in Alford’s success.

The two have been intertwined for more than 20 years, since Alford played for Knight at Indiana from 1983-87. Alford helped Knight win 92 games and the 1987 national championship, and played for him on the U.S. team that won gold at the 1984 Olympics.

Texas Tech coach Bob Knight, left, and Iowa coach Steve Alford meet before the start of the Hawkeyes' 83-53 rout of the Red Raiders. Iowa won Tuesday at the United Center in Chicago.

Though the two didn’t speak at length for almost four years after Alford became head coach at Iowa in 1999, any rift long since has been repaired. Alford said earlier this week he had the “utmost respect” for Knight, and he often seeks his mentor’s advice, sending him tapes of his team or asking the best way to deal with certain players.

“He’s helped me in a vast number of ways,” Alford said. “We’re trying to emulate a lot of what they do.”

The two downplay the ups and downs of their relationship — Knight went into a profanity-filled tirade when an ESPN reporter asked about it before last year’s game, later apologizing — and there’s a picture of them shaking hands in the Texas Tech media guide.

They smiled and laughed as they shook hands before Tuesday’s game, and Knight draped his left arm around Alford’s shoulder while they talked. At one point, Alford patted his old coach on the elbow.

No. 3 Oklahoma State 92, NW Oklahoma State 35

Stillwater, Okla. — John Lucas and Joey Graham each scored 21 points, and Oklahoma State set a school record with 15 three-pointers. The Cowboys (9-0) scored their first 21 points of the second half on three-pointers. JamesOn Curry scored eight straight points in a 12-0 run that put Oklahoma State ahead 87-27. Curry was 4-for-6 from three-point range and finished with 14 points. The Cowboys were 15-for-23 on threes for the game, including 10-for-15 in the second half.

Kansas State 81, Northern Illinois 66

Manhattan — Jeremiah Massey scored a career-high 32 points, helping Kansas State defeated Northern Illinois . The Wildcats (8-0) are off to their best start since they won nine straight to open the 1997-98 season. This is Kansas State’s second 8-0 start in 24 years. Massey, a 6-foot-7 senior forward, finished 8-for-15 from the floor and hit 16 of 17 free throws. Kansas State shot 51.8 percent and cashed in off 21 turnovers by Northern Illinois (3-4).

Colorado 79, UMKC 68

Boulder, Colo. — Richard Roby hit five three-pointers and scored 17 of his 23 points in the second half, and Colorado rallied from a lackluster first half. Jayson Obazuaye added 16 points, and Colorado (5-2) shot 58 percent in the second half to win its eighth straight against UMKC (0-6).

Marquette 81, Nebraska 62

Milwaukee — Travis Diener scored 32 points, including seven three-pointers, to lead Marquette past Nebraska. Diener scored 20 points in the first half, as the Golden Eagles (10-1) responded from their first loss of the season to Arizona on Saturday. Marquette used a 25-6 run over a nearly 10-minute stretch spanning both halves to put Nebraska away early.