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Texas Tech basketball: Most highly-anticipated non-con games in U.S.A. history

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TX - JANUARY 01: Head Coach Bobby Knight of Texas Tech recieves a trophy from Big 12 associate commissioner John Underwood during ceremony after his team's win over New Mexico at United Spirit Arena January 1, 2007 in Lubbock, Texas. With the win Knight surpassed Dean Smith to become the all-time winniest college basketball with 880 victories. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TX - JANUARY 01: Head Coach Bobby Knight of Texas Tech recieves a trophy from Big 12 associate commissioner John Underwood during ceremony after his team's win over New Mexico at United Spirit Arena January 1, 2007 in Lubbock, Texas. With the win Knight surpassed Dean Smith to become the all-time winniest college basketball with 880 victories. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /
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1-1-07: Knight passes Dean Smith

The New Year’s Day game in 2007 was about as hyped as we have seen for a non-conference game but it wasn’t because of the opponent, New Mexico.  Rather, it was the day that Bob Knight passed former North Carolina head coach Dean Smith to become the winningest Division I head coach in history, a mark that has since been eclipsed by Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski.

Four days prior, Tech had failed to help Knight reach that milestone at home when the Red Raiders couldn’t beat UNLV.   That forced the throng of national media that had descended on Lubbock to cover the event to spend New Year’s Eve in the Depot District.  And against New Mexico, everyone in the arena had to hold their breath before celebrating.

That’s because Tech blew a 20-point lead giving the Lobos a shot to win the game with a 3-pointer at the buzzer.  But the shot was off the mark and Knight claimed the historic win.

In fact, Tech trailed the game late in the second half.  But Jay Jackson scored the game’s final points on a 3 with 2:05 to play.  For the last two minutes, the entire arena was on its feet as neither team could score in a frenetic but rather sloppy final two minutes.

With 22 points each, Jackson and Martin Zeno were Tech’s leading scorers.  Zeno played the entire 40 minutes of the game while Jackson nearly matched that with 39 minutes of action.

Following the game, Knight addressed the crowd and then a series of video tributes were played in the arena.  It was an unforgettable moment in college basketball history and in the history of the U.S.A., even if the national media was less than pleased about having to spend a few extra days of their holiday season in Lubbock.

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