Tonight’s the Knight

Legendary coach's Red Raiders to clash with Jayhawks in Big Monday matchup

Brandon Rush, who confessed to scanning the stands behind the visitor’s bench to catch a glimpse of Ashley Judd during Kansas University’s rout of Kentucky on Jan. 7, said he wouldn’t sneak a peek at the most famous person in Allen Fieldhouse tonight.

“Nah. He is a Hall of Famer, though. A great coach,” KU frosh Rush said of legend Bob Knight, who brings his fifth Texas Tech team (11-9 overall, 3-3 Big 12 Conference) to town for a Big Monday battle against Kansas (13-6, 4-2).

Tipoff is 8 p.m., with a live telecast on ESPN2, available locally on Sunflower Broadband Channel 34. A replay will air at 10:30 tonight on Sunflower Broadband Channel 6.

“I am really observant. I may look over there, but it won’t be when I’m in the game, not unless I’m trying to see what they’re calling. The game is too fast to be worrying about what’s going on on the sideline,” said KU freshman Julian Wright, who never has met the 65-year-old former Indiana coach, but said he had “followed him a long time. I really respect what he’s done.”

What Knight has done at Army, Indiana and Texas Tech in 40 years of coaching is compile an 865-342 record, good for a 71.7 winning percentage.

Hall of Fame coach Bob Knight returns a loose ball to a referee during the Red Raiders' 92-90 overtime victory over Oklahoma State. Tech snapped a two-game losing streak with the victory Saturday in Lubbock, Texas.

His 865 victories are third-most in men’s basketball history. He trails only Adolph Rupp of Kentucky (876) and Dean Smith of North Carolina (879).

“Everyone respects coach,” KU coach Bill Self said of Knight, who led Indiana to three national championships (1976, ’81, ’87), including the perfect 32-0 season in 1975-76, last time a school has won every game on the schedule.

“He will be the all-time leader in wins real soon. Everybody respects that, but even more than that, everybody respects the way he’s done it. I think coach really appreciates good basketball,” Self added, “and appreciates guys and teams that try to do it the right way. Even though I’m not connected with him at all (as far as coaching for Knight), I feel through words that he’s said that he appreciates what we do, and we admire from afar what they do.”

The Raiders are led by junior guard Jarrius Jackson, who averages 19.5 points and 4.1 rebounds a game, and Martin Zeno, who averages 16.5 points and 5.5 rebounds.

Forward Darryl Dora averages 7.1 points and 4.9 boards for the Raiders, who will bring their famed motion offense to town.

“Tech is the easiest team to prepare for and the hardest to play,” Self said, “because you can’t simulate their motion in practice. Saying, ‘Hey guys they run motion,’ is not really preparation for them. They will do things differently against us than anybody else has, how they guard us. They run offense as good or better than any team in America.”

Tech is coming off a pulsating 92-90 overtime victory over Oklahoma State on Saturday before 8,787 fans at 15,098-seat United Spirit Arena in Lubbock, Texas.

Jackson, who played the entire 45 minutes and scored 26 points, hit a three-pointer with 2.7 seconds left in regulation to force overtime. LucQuente White (nine points, 35 minutes) hit a three to open the extra period, and the Raiders never relinquished the lead again.

Tech, which hit 25 of 38 free throws in the victory, received a spark from 6-foot-8 junior forward Jon Plefka, who had six of his 15 points in overtime.

“(Plefka) was huge, especially after sitting out for most of the second half,” Tech head coach designate Pat Knight, Bob’s son, said after the game. “We put him in at the end just because we wanted someone to block out : and I think he came up huge (in overtime). He got some big rebounds, putbacks and only missed one free throw, and for a big guy that’s good.”

Also for Tech, sophomore forward Zeno scored 20 points while playing 41 minutes, while Dora, a junior, had 12 points while playing the entire regulation and overtime.