Lubbock, Texas ? Bob Knight was reprimanded, but not suspended, Tuesday for his loud public outburst at Texas Tech Chancellor David Smith.

After coaching his No. 19 Red Raiders to an 83-63 victory against Baylor, Knight said there had been discussions about a suspension. The coach also admitted he could have avoided the episode simply by walking away from Smith.

“I regret that the situation turned out the way it did,” Knight said earlier in a four-paragraph news release. “I look forward to finishing this season in a strong fashion, and I am glad the situation is behind me so that I can return to the business of coaching.”

Tech athletic director Gerald Myers said in a statement that “appropriate personnel action” was taken regarding Monday’s verbal spat at an upscale grocery store.

That means Knight will be on the bench Saturday when the Red Raiders (17-4, 5-2 Big 12 Conference) face Kansas University (14-4, 6-1) at 3 p.m. Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse.

As Knight left the court after Tuesday night’s home win, the crowd cheered loudly, and he acknowledged the fans by raising his right hand in appreciation.

After the game, Knight said he talked with his wife Monday night about how he would have handled a suspension.

Knight said he would have gone “through whatever means were available to fight that, but I would have stayed through the suspension simply because I feel so strongly about this situation, this school, this community and these kids, and that would not have been easy for me to do, but I would have done it with them.”

Texas Tech coach Bob Knight argues a call during last year's Big 12 Conference Tournament. Knight was reprimanded, but not suspended, Tuesday for his recent outburst with Tech Chancellor David Smith. The Red Raiders will play Kansas at 3 p.m. Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse

In his version of the spat, Knight said Smith followed him to the side of the salad bar and said, “You’ve got issues. What are they?”

“Right then is where I think I was at fault,” Knight said. “I should have shook my head, walked away, done a lot of other things, and I didn’t. I went on to tell him what one of those issues was and then it got back and forth a little bit.

“But the one thing there was, that I absolutely did not instigate anything.”

Before the game, Knight received a rousing ovation when he came onto the court a couple of minutes earlier than usual. Even a Baylor assistant, standing under the basket during warmups, applauded as Knight walked out and shook hands with the coach.

A row of students near the Tech bench wore red T-shirts with white lettering that read, “Lettuce Support Coach Knight” — a reference to rumors that lettuce had been thrown during the spat.

Armen Williams, a 20-year-old sophomore, painted his bare chest and arms in red acrylic and put in black: I (Heart) Coach Knight.

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“There’s been so many rumors it’s hard to say if he got the right punishment,” Williams said. “We’ll definitely let coach Knight know we support him, so he’ll stay and he can continue to work his magic.”

Knight spent much of the day meeting with school officials.

This is the first time Tech has punished Knight in his three seasons at the school. He was hired in March 2001, six months after he was fired by Indiana for what then-school president Myles Brand called his “pattern of unacceptable behavior.”

Myers, the only one of the three people most instrumental in hiring Knight who still works for the university, was with Knight on Monday when the spat occurred. Myers is a former basketball coach who has been friends with Knight for roughly three decades.

“This is a misunderstanding and has now been rectified,” Myers said in the statement. “The matter has been resolved in the best interest of the university.”

Knight has no behavior clause in his contract. At the time of his hiring, Myers and then-school president David Schmidly said they felt that none was needed.

Schmidly has been replaced by Jon Whitmore. Smith replaced John Montford, a former state senator from Lubbock and a prolific fund-raiser.

In the statement, Smith said he applauded how Whitmore and Myers resolved this issue.

“We look forward to the continuation of what is already a successful season,” Smith said.

The grocery-store incident occurred six weeks after Knight went into a profanity-filled tirade upon being asked by an ESPN reporter about his relationship with former player Steve Alford, now the Iowa coach, who was also participating in the interview. Knight later apologized for his behavior.

A Hall of Famer, Knight was hired at Tech to revive a downtrodden program. He did that by getting the Red Raiders into the NCAA Tournament his first season, but wasn’t able to get back last season. In response, he returned his $250,000 salary to the school, saying he hadn’t earned it.

Tech won 12 straight this season, the school’s best streak since reaching the Sweet 16 in 1995-96.

Knight’s fiery temper has often overshadowed his on-court success.

In his 29 years at Indiana, he won three national championships and 11 Big Ten titles. Yet he’s also remembered for throwing a chair across a court, punching a police officer in Puerto Rico and kicking a chair his son, then a player, was sitting in. He also was accused of choking a player.

Knight’s hiring was widely hailed in Lubbock, except for a group of faculty worried about the possible problems his sometimes volatile behavior could bring. Many recanted and have since become supporters, noting the money he’s raised for scholarships and the library.

There have been some run-ins, though.

In January 2002, Knight and the general manager of the Compaq Center in Houston exchanged words after Knight complained about the small size of the locker room. The GM later apologized.

Almost exactly a year ago, Knight earned win No. 800, one of his top moments in Lubbock. It was later reported that he kicked in a television screen during halftime of that game. Knight downplayed that incident, saying he was “apparently the first coach in the history of coaching to ever kick anything or break anything.”