Texas Tech basketball: Bob Knight’s most memorable moments as a Red Raider

Knight picks up win No. 800 Feb. 5 2003 as Texas Tech beats Nebraska

In a way, Bob Knight’s career at Texas Tech was made all the more memorable because of all of the career milestones he accomplished during his time in Lubbock.  One such moment was when he picked up win No. 800 in February of 2003.

That night in Lubbock, Knight’s team thoroughly dominated Nebraska 75-49 to help Knight pick up this notable achievement.  At the time, he was only the fourth member of the 800-win club.

The game was a two-hour-long celebration given that an early 26-0 run essentially put things to bed in the first half.  That was encouraging given that Tech had come up short in Knight’s previous attempt to get to 800, a loss at Texas A&M just days prior.

Maybe it was better that he got this win in Lubbock rather than in College Station, though.  Who wants to celebrate anything down there?  However, Knight was more concerned with getting Tech to .500 in conference play than he was with getting to 800 wins.

"“When I wake up tomorrow morning, the most important thing in my mind is we’re 3-4 in conference,” Knight said following the game."

In the win, the late Andre Emmett led the team in scoring with 24 points.  Meanwhile, versatile forward Kasib Powell added 16.

Unfortunately, that season would be a disappointment for Knight and the Red Raiders, though.  A year after reaching the NCAA Tournament in Knight’s debut campaign, Tech would go only 6-10 in Big 12 play and 18-12 overall, which was only good enough to qualify for the N.I.T., an event in which Tech would end up finishing third.

Thus, the night when coach Knight got to 800 wins was the highlight of the season.  Though there would be more milestone wins to come, it was the first time Red Raider fans got a taste of what it was like to celebrate a career achievement for one of the game’s all-time greats.