Texas Tech Red Raiders and Bobby Knight News and Notes

[TheGeneral+]

Sat 01/24/2004 Texas A&M College Station, Texas 5PM

 

[DJ6593]

General,

This will be a difficult game for the Red Raiders to stay focused on. Coming off the huge win monday over a Sooner team that Coach Knight obviously wanted to beat badly, and with the showdown on deck monday against Texas, Aggies are in perfect position to catch the Red Raiders without there A game. This game will be a good barometer for this young TT team.

GUNS UP!

 

[TheGeneral+]

Thanks for the participation ncaahoopster

Aggies take on No. 18 Texas Tech



Sophomore guard/forward Antoine Wright was highlighted before the season by coaches and media as the first true superstar to play basketball at Texas A&M in recent memory. After claiming Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors after the 2002-03 season, it seemed as if the accolades were well-deserved.

With an NBA future on the horizon for Wright, he planned to lead the Aggies (7-7, 0-3 Big 12) to their first postseason tournament appearance in a decade before making the jump to the professional ranks.

Wright, though, has had an up-and-down season to say the least. After starting the season slow, Wright finally began playing to his potential through December and January culminating in his 25-point25-point, 12-rebound performance in the Aggies' narrow loss to No. 10 Kansas.

Wright followed that game with his worst performance of his two-year career at A&M with just two points and two rebounds in 30 minutes of playing time in the Aggies' 70-61 loss to Kansas State.

"I just couldn't put one down," Wright said. "It was just one of those games. I can't really explain it."

Now, the senior-laden Aggies have a long way to climb if they still want to be in the postseason picture after digging themselves into a large hole by going winless in their first three conference games.

"We've just got to turn it around," Wright said. "We've got to steal some games, that's what it comes down to. There's a lot of basketball to play.

We've still got the rest of the conference and the Big 12 tournament to play. You never know what can happen."

The road doesn't get any easier for the Aggies as they welcome the Big 12's leading scorer senior Andre Emmett and No. 18 Texas Tech to Reed Arena Saturday at 5 p.m. Tech (15-2, 3-0) is currently riding an 11-game winning streak that has seen 20-plus point wins over top-25 teams such as Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

Emmett is leading the charge for the Red Raiders as they are playing what many consider the best basketball in the Big 12 Conference.

"They've played 17 games and nobody has figured out (how to stop Emmett)," said A&M head coach Melvin Watkins. "You've just got to make sure that when he gets something, he's got to work for it. He really operates, I think, as well as any college basketball player playing right now on that baseline."

Even with Tech playing its best basketball of the season, Red Raider head coach Bobby Knight said that his team can change at any time.

"We could be as different tomorrow as black and white or as apples and watermelons," Knight said. "You just have to continue to be focused and play as well as you can."

Even though these two teams seem to be headed in opposite directions, A&M proved it could beat Tech after knocking off the Red Raiders 64-59 last season in front the team's first-ever sellout at Reed Arena.

That game was Knight's first try at career win No. 800. He left College Station stuck on No. 799.

"We did feed off that energy (from the crowd) last year," Watkins said. "They are playing awfully well right now, maybe the best in the Big 12, so we know we have to really play."

If the Aggies are to send Tech home with another upset loss in College Station this season, A&M will need a stellar game from Wright.
And Wright said he always has the games against Tech circled on his calender.

"I look forward to playing against Bobby Knight," Wright said. "I want to beat him every time out. Right now I'm

1-1. Hopefully after this game I'll be 2-1."

www.thebatt.com

 

[TheGeneral+]

Forward's smooth move results in 80-78 triumph over pesky Texas A&M

COLLEGE STATION -- With 6.3 seconds left and Texas Tech ahead by two points, Red Raiders forward Andre Emmett came on the court to play defense against Texas A&M's last-ditch effort.

A rap song by Ludacris playing over the public-address system caught Emmett's ear. He smiled and sang along: "When I move, you move, just like that. When I move, you move, just like that."

Not exactly. There are few players in college basketball who can move the way Emmett moves.

With the game tied and the clock running down, Emmett put the Red Raiders ahead 80-78 with a whirling spin move through the lane, shaking away from three Aggies and putting in an eight-footer for the game-winner Saturday evening.

The lead held up as Leandro Garcia-Morales' 3-point try from the top of the key hit the front of the rim at the buzzer, allowing No. 18 Texas Tech (16-2, 4-0) to extend its winning streak to 12 games and take a one-half game lead over Kansas atop the Big 12 Conference.

"Coach (Bob) Knight drew up a play and told me to pop out and drive and either put it in the hole or get fouled," said Emmett, who led all scorers with 23 points, a shade better than his conference-leading 22.1 average. "We almost ran the play to perfection. I didn't see an opening until the end, when a window opened up."

For the Aggies and the crowd of 12,124, the fourth-largest in Reed Arena history, Emmett closed the window and sent another dagger through their hearts. Though the Aggies (7-8, 0-4) are winless in the conference, they have lost four times by a total of 22 points. A&M has lost to Kansas, Missouri and Tech by a total of 13 points.

"We're disappointed, but we're not down," said A&M coach Melvin Watkins. "I can feel good about what we're doing in practice and the way we're playing. Our next step is to win some games, but I'm not on a roller coaster."

Emmett, who was held to three shots in the second half when A&M started to double-team him, did the damage when it counted.

"He's a pro in a college uniform," Watkins said.

"One-on-one, he's probably the best around-the-basket player in the country," said Aggies center Andy Slocum, one of three defenders who took a run at Emmett on the game-winning shot. "I've never seen anybody make moves like that."

Even Knight, who has had his run-ins with Emmett over the last three years, was effusive in praise for the 6-5 senior.

"He did a really good job," Knight said. "We set up what we wanted to do, which was to run him down the lane and instead of cutting him off we brought the ball back to him. (Randy) **** got it to him, and he had a chance to either make a basket or draw a foul. He and Ronald did a great job at the end.

"If you can make an arrangement for Emmett to come back next year, in spite of all my complaining, I'll have him."

Knight might have been in a different mood had the Aggies pulled the upset. A&M didn't collapse despite falling behind 35-23 late in the first half.

The Aggies closed to within 40-37 by halftime and went ahead 49-46 four minutes into the second half. A&M had 18 offensive rebounds that translated to 22 second-chance points in the game. Overall, the Aggies had a 35-21 rebounding edge.

A&M trailed 73-68 when Acie Law IV, who led A&M with 14 points, hit a 3-pointer with 2:30 to play. With the Aggies trailing 76-73, Law connected on a baseline shot and was fouled. He made the free throw to tie the game at 76.

Two free throws by Emmett put Tech ahead 78-76 with 52.1 seconds left, but Jesse King's follow shot tied the game with 20.6 seconds remaining. After the timeout, Emmett did what was asked.

Neither Emmett nor Knight was surprised that A&M gave Tech such a close game. The last three games between the teams have been decided by five points or fewer.

"It seemed like every time we scored, they had an answer for it," Emmett said. "We expected a tough game. They've lost some close games, and it's a matter of them putting it all together."

A year ago, Knight's team went 6-10 in the Big 12 and missed several chances to win close games. He knows what Watkins is going through.

"We had the same thing last year," Knight said. "We had eight games we could have won or lost in the last 20 seconds, and we won two of them."

www.chron.com

 

[TheGeneral+]

After 13 consecutive losses in the series, Texas Tech finally broke through with a win against Texas in the Big 12 tournament last season.

Now, the 18th-ranked Red Raiders (16-2, 4-0) will try to end a six-game home losing streak in the series when they meet the 16th-ranked Longhorns (12-3, 3-1) at United Spirit Arena on Monday.

Texas Tech has not beaten Texas in Lubbock since the 1996-97 season.

The Longhorns have dominated the series overall, going 14-2 against the Red Raiders since the formation of the Big 12. Texas is 10-1 against Texas Tech since Rick Barnes took over the coaching reigns in Austin.

However, Texas had its 13-game winning streak against Texas Tech snapped with a 92-81 defeat in the Big 12 tournament quarterfinals in Dallas last season.

The Longhorns are coming in looking to bounce back from their first loss at home, a 72-67 defeat to Oklahoma State on Saturday which ended Texas' 25-game home winning streak.

Royal Ivey scored 14 points for the Longhorns, who shot just 50 percent from the free-throw line (10-for-20).

"The surefire way to lose a basketball game is to miss free throws, not rebound and have defensive breakdowns," Barnes said.

Texas can ill afford a bad night from the line against surging Texas Tech.

Andre Emmett scored 23 points, including a driving layup with six seconds left to give Texas Tech an 80-78 victory over Texas A&M on Saturday, the Red Raiders' 12th straight victory overall.

"Coming out of the timeout, coach (Bob) Knight drew up a play and told me to pop out and drive, put it in the hole and get fouled," Emmett said. "Fortunately we got the lead and the win."

Emmett is averaging a team-high 22.2 points and 6.6 rebounds, while shooting a team-best 56.6 percent from the floor.

www.foxsports.com

 

[TheGeneral+]

LUBBOCK, Texas - Royal Ivey made his first two free throws of the game with 17 seconds left in overtime Monday night for No. 16 Texas' final points in a 62-61 victory over No. 13 Texas Tech that snapped the Red Raiders' 12-game winning streak.

"We were fortunate to get a win," Texas coach Rick Barnes said. "Our offense was awful, but we hung in there."

In the only other game involving a ranked team Monday, No. 23 Providence beat Georgetown 65-50.

Brandon Mouton got Texas (13-3, 4-1 Big 12) into overtime. His 22-foot shot off a c****court inbounds pass from Ivey - Texas calls the play the "box-special" - with 2.6 seconds left in regulation was from right in front of his bench and tied the game at 55. Mouton finished with eight points on 3-for-10 shooting.

"I saw Brandon wide open, and I just tried to put the pass on the money," Ivey said. "He did the rest. He hit the shot."

Texas Tech coach Bob Knight said he takes the "whole responsibility" for giving up Mouton's tying basket.

"They made a terrific play. But I'm at fault for not calling a timeout," he said. "I think I cost us the game in that regard. I should have taken a timeout. I took one, but I should have taken another one, but I liked our set up and the kid hit a great shot."

After Ivey made his free throws, Texas Tech's Ronald **** put in two of his own to make it 62-61. The Red Raiders (16-3, 4-1) had a chance to win it with 1.9 seconds left in overtime after Kenny Taylor of Texas missed the front end of a 1-and-1.

Tech's Andre Emmett grabbed the rebound and called a timeout. Jarrius Jackson missed a long 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Mouton said he prides himself on being there when the team needs him.

"I didn't have much time to mess around with it," Mouton said. "Once I got it in the air, it felt good. When it dropped through, I knew we had five more minutes to play."

The win was the seventh straight in Lubbock for the Longhorns.

Emmett, the Big 12's leading scorer coming in at 22.2 points per game, didn't score his first field goal until 1:16 remained in the first half. He finished with nine points.

Texas overcame a 10-point deficit early in the second half with P. J. Tucker getting seven of his nine points in the comeback.

Texas Tech broke a 22-22 halftime tie with a 10-0 run that included two 3-pointers by Mikey Marshall. Texas scrapped back to tie it at 41 on a rebound basket by Tucker with 7:45 remaining and the Longhorns took the lead on a 3-pointer by Mouton with 5:30 remaining. There were six ties and two lead changes after that.

Kenton Paulino scored 12 points - all in the first half - and Boddicker added nine for Texas.

Jackson scored 17 points for the Red Raiders, while Marshall and Ronald **** each added 14.

No Texas Tech players were available for interviews after the game.

The Red Raiders, who came in averaging 3.5 3-pointers per game, finished 8-of-25 from 3-point range. Marshall, who entered just 1-for-2 from beyond the arc, was 4-of-7.

www.miami.com

 

[TheGeneral+]

Going for 826 Saturday

Sat 01/31/2004 Oklahoma State Stillwater, Okla. 8PM

 

[TheGeneral+]

The free-throw line, the Big 12's top scorer and an ear-splitting crowd couldn't faze Tony Allen.

Oklahoma State's star guard easily handled the first two obstacles and embraced the third, scoring 20 points to lead the 18th-ranked Cowboys to a 70-66 win over No. 13 Texas Tech in a foul-plagued game Saturday night.

"I thought (Allen) did a really great job on (Andre) Emmett," Oklahoma State coach Eddie Sutton said. "I thought Tony also did a very good job of being able to drive the basket and get fouled."

The Cowboys (15-2, 5-1 Big 12) are on a five-game winning streak, putting them into a three-way tie for first place in the conference with Kansas and Texas.

Allen was unusually reliable for a 59 percent free-throw shooter, going 12-for-14 at the line.

But it was Allen's smothering second-half defense on Emmett, the league's leading scorer at 21.5 points a game, that clinched the win.

Emmett finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds, but didn't score a basket in the final 16 minutes and couldn't even free himself to get the ball down the stretch. His final shot bounced off the rim, appropriately enough, when Allen stuck a hand in his face at the last moment.

"I knew defensively I was going to have to check him," Allen said of Emmett, who scored 32 points in Tech's 83-62 win over the Cowboys three weeks ago. "Last game I was kind of mad that I didn't check him."

As the final seconds burned off the clock, Allen clapped his hands and exhorted the frenzied crowd of 13,611 in Gallagher-Iba Arena to yell even louder. He practically skipped into the locker room when the game was finally over.

Tech coach Bob Knight, who's tough to impress even on his best days, didn't hide his displeasure with Emmett's second-straight subpar game -- he has scored a total of 24 points on 9-of-26 shooting.

"I don't think that Emmett has worked very hard offensively in the last two games," Knight said. "I am not very happy with Emmett's play."

Jarrius Jackson led the Red Raiders with 22 points.

Texas Tech (16-3, 4-1) has lost two straight after having its 12-game winning streak snapped by Texas in a 62-61 loss in Lubbock on Monday.

This one may hurt just as much.

"I thought it was a game that we didn't throw away. I feel like we had chances and they had chances," Knight said. "I thought the Texas game was one that we just threw away."

The game got bogged down in the game's final few minutes as the teams traded foul shots on nearly every possession. Thirty-two fouls were called in the second half, including seven on seven straight possessions.

How bad did it get?

There were 29 fouls and only 36 field goal attempts in the game's final 14 minutes.

Boos and whistles filled the air, frustrating the crowd and turning the game into a glorified free throw shooting contest.

Not everyone was bothered was the game's herky-jerky pace.

"I told one of the referees during one of the free throws, I said, 'This is great, this is what conference basketball is about,"' said Oklahoma State guard Daniel Bobik, who missed two free throws with 30 seconds left that would have clinched the win. John Lucas hit four free throws in the final 12 seconds, finishing with 15 points for Oklahoma State, and Joey Graham had 13.

The emotions of the close game bubbled over with 8:39 left when a fan threw a water bottle on the floor after Graham was called for an offensive foul.

Knight allowed the officials to wave off what could have been a technical foul, but Sutton still grabbed the public announcer's microphone and told the crowd to stop throwing things on the court.

www.sfgate.com

 

[TheGeneral+]

Feb. 2, 2004
It has been widely reported that there was a verbal battle between Texas Tech coach Bob Knight and chancellor David Smith at a grocery store close to campus. There have been conflicting reports about what exactly was said and who provoked the situation.

I've learned from sources close to Knight that the coach felt that in the course of the conversation, his integrity was being questioned. If there's one thing that will make Knight go ballistic, it's when his integrity is being challenged.

I've been told that there was no physical contact or altercation and no profanity exchanged.

I've also been told that the chancellor informed athletic director Gerald Myers that he wanted Knight suspended for five days for the incident. It was unclear whether that suspension would keep Knight away from all practice sessions and games.

The bottom line is that Knight loves coaching at Texas Tech. He enjoys his relationship with Myers and has never been happier being in an environment where he loves the kids, loves winning and loves the opportunity to build a program from the bottom up.

Remember, on the sidelines he has been sensational at Texas Tech. The Red Raiders' program was on the bottom when he arrived.

http://espn.go.com/dickvitale/

 

[TheGeneral+]

Already suffering through its second two-game losing streak of the season, Texas Tech got more bad news Monday when fiery coach Bob Knight became wrapped up in yet another controversy.

The 19th-ranked Red Raiders will look to set all of those distractions aside as they host conference opponent Baylor on Tuesday.
Knight got into a verbal spat with university chancellor Dr. David Smith at a local grocery store on Monday. School spokeswoman Sally Logue Post said she did not know details of the encounter, but added that no one was injured.

"This is obviously an issue that is internal to the university," Smith told The Associated Press. "Right now the athletic director and the president's office at the university are looking into the incident. We'll wait to hear more in the next few days about their review."

Knight is no stranger to controversy. While coaching at Indiana, he was investigated by the university after a former player accused Knight of choking him in a 1997 practice.

Knight was fined $30,000, suspended for three games and placed under a "zero-tolerance" behavior policy. The university fired him in September 2000, claiming that he violated that policy after grabbing and yelling at a student who asked him, "Hey, Knight, what's up?"

Then in December, Knight issued an apology after a profanity-laced tirade on ESPN.

When asked whether Texas Tech may consider removing Knight, Smith said, "I can't comment on any of those things right now."

Knight's Red Raiders (16-3, 4-1 Big 12) are coming off Saturday's 70-66 loss to No. 13 Oklahoma State. It was their second straight defeat since a 12-game winning streak.

Andre Emmett, who leads the Big 12 with 21.2 points per game, managed just 15 points and was held scoreless in the final 16 minutes of the game. The star swingman has scored just 24 points on 9-of-26 shooting over his last two games.

"I don't think that Emmett has worked very hard offensively in the last two games," Knight said. "I am not very happy with Emmett's play."

Jarrius Jackson had a team-high 22 points for Texas Tech, which is 10-1 at home this season.

The Bears (6-13, 1-5) are coming off Saturday's 81-66 loss to Colorado, their seventh defeat in eight games.

Harvey Thomas had a team-high 19 points and 10 rebounds, while R.T. Guinn added 13 points. Team scoring leader Terrance Thomas, who averages 17.4 points, had 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Baylor, which is currently playing with six scholarship players and five walk-ons, is 1-9 in its last 10 games away from home.

Texas Tech leads the all-time series 68-39 and has won five of the last six meetings.


http://www.foxsports.com/content/view?contentId=2109696

 

[TheGeneral+]

Bob Knight was on the sideline to see Texas Tech break its two-game losing streak.

Just hours after the Hall of Fame coach was reprimanded by the school for his public outburst at the chancellor, No. 19 Texas Tech beat Baylor 83-63 on Tuesday night.

Andre Emmett scored 25 points for the Red Raiders in the aftermath of school officials reprimanding, but not suspending, Knight for his spate with university chancellor David Smith on Monday.

As Knight left the court the crowd cheered loudly and he acknowledged them by raising his right hand in appreciation.

After the game, Knight said he hadn't eaten in 48 hours and hadn't slept much. He said there were discussions about a suspension but that he would not have agreed with one.

Knight said he and his wife discussed the possibility Monday night and agreed to go "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."

Knight also said he "absolutely did not instigate anything" in the spate, and that at one point he considered himself "at fault."

Texas Tech (17-4, 5-2 Big 12) used a 13-2 run early in the second half to pull away from a halftime tie. The Red Raiders hit eight of their first 11 shots, outscoring Baylor 21-8 in the first seven minutes of the second half.

Baylor coach Scott Drew said Tech's quick start in the second half was tough to recover from.

"We don't have much depth, so it would have been easy to kind of lay down," he said. "Credit our players for coming back. In the second half, you saw why you don't want to have six scholarship players. They did a great job of wearing us down."

Knight, who led Indiana to three national championships, received a rousing ovation when he came onto the court a couple of minutes earlier than usual.

"I'm from Indiana," Drew said. "He got that reaction all the time."

Even a Baylor assistant, standing under the basket during warmups, applauded as Knight walked out and shook hands with him.

A row of students near the Texas 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.

"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."

Emmett, who leads the Big 12 in scoring with a 21-point average, had lackluster performances against Oklahoma State (13 points) and Texas (nine points) last week. He was 9-of-17 from the field and pulled down nine rebounds against Baylor.

Ronald **** scored 22 points and Mikey Marshall added 11 for the Red Raiders.

Matt Saymen had 14 points and Terrance Thomas added 13 for the Bears (6-14, 1-6), who lost for the eighth time in nine.

Texas Tech took a 21-10 lead by hitting on nine of its first 11 shots. Baylor answered with a 20-6 run to go up by three with 4:37 left in the half.

http://www.sportsline.com

 

[TheGeneral+]

LUBBOCK, Texas -- Bob Knight was reprimanded, but not suspended, on Tuesday for his loud public outburst at Texas Tech chancellor David Smith.

Tech athletic director Gerald Myers said in a statement that "appropriate personnel action" was taken regarding Monday's verbal spat involving the coach at an upscale grocery store.

"I regret that the situation turned out the way it did," Knight said in a four-paragraph news release.

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."

www.freep.com

 

[TheGeneral+]

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) -- Texas Tech chancellor David Smith wrote in a memo about his encounter with coach Bob Knight at a grocery store that he was only attempting to compliment Knight before the basketball coach became angry, "charging up behind me furious with fists clenched."

Smith's version of events was detailed Thursday on the Web site of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, which obtained documents related to Monday's incident through an open records request. The newspaper also obtained a letter athletic director Gerald Myers wrote asking that Knight not be suspended and a draft of a letter Myers wrote to Knight reprimanding him and also informing him of a three-day suspension.

The issue was resolved Tuesday with Knight receiving a reprimand, not a suspension.

The episode outlined in Smith's memo included a bizarre scene at an intersection with Knight leaving a car and dashing ac**** a street as Myers yelled at him to return.

Knight said Tuesday night after his team's win over Baylor that he did not instigate Monday's encounter.

Smith writes that he initiated conversation with Knight in the store to compliment him.

"As I approached Mr. Knight I placed my hand on his shoulder, kidded him about eating healthy, and stated that 'Most of us only hear the negatives, it is important that sometimes someone remembers to express the positives.'

"I expressed the same sentiment that I did with Gerald Myers that despite some tough losses I especially wanted to commend him on how he handled the last few weeks and in particular the student section at the University of Texas game. His demeanor and habitus changed drastically. With a red face his response was curt and angry as he responded, 'I always handle things well, and have always handled things well.'

Smith said in the document entitled "Memo to the File Re: A public incident with Coach Bob Knight" that it became clear that Knight's angry response was triggered by resentment over Smith's actions in an unrelated locker room episode last year related to the suspensions of Nick Valdez and Andre Emmett.

Smith said he was confused by Knight's agitation and tried to leave.

"Just steps past the checkout counter I turned to see Bob Knight charging up behind me furious with fists clenched and confronted me before I could leave the store," Smith wrote.

In the parking lot, Knight continued yelling at Smith, accusing him of calling him a "liar" in the incident last year, Smith said.

Myers, who was with Knight, attempted to pull the coach away, according to Smith.

After driving away from the store, Smith said he saw Knight's car at an intersection.

"Suddenly we noticed Gerald Myers get out of the passenger door and appeared to be yelling at Coach Knight who had left the vehicle and dashed ac**** the westbound lane of 50th Street," Smith wrote. "Gerald proceeds to try to call Bob Knight but finally leaves the car ac**** Indiana to the north. The car sat abandoned with the driver door open, stranded in the left turn lane.

"Bob Knight abruptly returns to his car, turns left and appeared to be trying to get Gerald back into his vehicle," Smith wrote. "Several dozen cars and passers-by witnessed this event."

Myers and Smith have both said they will not comment on the incident.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com

 

[TheGeneral+]

LAWRENCE, Kan. - Wayne Simien had 22 points and a career-high 17 rebounds, leading No. 20 Kansas to a 96-77 win over No. 19 Texas Tech on Saturday.

The Jayhawks (15-4, 6-1 Big 12) set a season scoring high in handing Texas Tech (17-5, 5-3) its third loss in the last four games and improving to 15-1 against the Red Raiders.

Kansas had not gone over the 90-point mark since beating Tennessee-Chattanooga 90-76 in the Jayhawks' season opener.

It was the first road game for Texas Tech coach Bob Knight since the school reprimanded him for getting into an argument with chancellor David Smith on Monday at a Lubbock salad bar.

The capacity crowd of 16,300 in Allen Fieldhouse jeered Knight before the game, many waving signs that read "Red Rager," and again on the several occasions when the coach argued with officials.

Knight kept his cool well enough to avoid any technical fouls. It was the Jayhawks who got hot, hitting 9 of 20 3-point tries and outshooting Texas Tech 51 percent (36-for-71) to 38 percent (23-for-60) from the field.

Over one stretch in the second half, when the Jayhawks finally began to pull away, the Red Raiders went nine minutes without a field goal.

Kansas hit its first five 3-point tries and shot 14-for-19 (74 percent) from the field in just over 12 minutes to open the game. But the Jayhawks went 4-for-14 to close out the first half, and Texas Tech was still within striking distance when Andre Emmett hit two free throws to cut Kansas' lead to 63-54 with 13:21 left in the game.

The Jayhawks responded with a 10-0 run, highlighted by 3-pointers from J.R. Giddens and Michael Lee, for a 74-54 lead with 8:37 remaining.

By the time Emmett scored inside with 5:04 to go - the Red Raiders' first field goal since Devonne Giles' basket with 14:04 left - Kansas led 82-61.

Emmett was 8-for-20 from the field but 13-for-13 from the free throw line, leading the Red Raiders with 29 points.

The Jayhawks had their biggest lead, 94-67, on Omar Wilkes' bucket with 2 1/2 minutes remaining.

Giddens hit four 3-pointers and finished with 18 points, and freshman center David Padgett added 16 points for the Jayhawks.

Giles fouled out with 15 points, and Josh Washington added 10 points for Texas Tech.

www.kansascity.com

 

[TheGeneral+]

Wed 02/11/2004 Oklahoma Norman, Okla. 7PM

 

[TheGeneral+]

NORMAN, Okla. - Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson did not substitute en masse, not that that particularly would have solved the problem.

Nor did he summon the ghosts of Hollis Price, Quannas White or Ebi Ere.

But six minutes into the second half, Sampson somehow summoned a team that could get a decent shot and make it. The Sooners thereafter reversed a 2-for-20 shooting slump and rescued a badly needed 63-48 victory over No. 18 Texas Tech on Wednesday night.

Uncharacteristically needing quality wins to cement an NCAA Tournament bid, OU (15-4, 5-4) won the first of three key home games in the second half of the Big 12 season. Upcoming are Oklahoma State on Monday and Texas the following Saturday.

"Those three games are very important because they affect what we do in postseason," OU guard De'Angelo Alexander said. "We needed a good victory."

OU built a 23-8 lead by making 10 of its first 17 shots, then went into the O-zone. Tech inched up to one down at 34-33 with 14:26 left in the game before the Sooners suddenly transformed themselves into a team that could score after Sampson called a timely timeout.

"X's and O's are important," Sampson said. "But with a young team, you'd better make sure they're not afraid to fail."

Sampson turned to freshman guard Jaison Williams.

"We ran a little double screen out of the timeout and I told him to stick it," Sampson said.

He did, making a 3-pointer, and the OU slump was soon in the past. The Sooners went on a 13-2 run, and before the game was over netted four more 3-pointers - including one by center Jabahri Brown on only his second attempt of the season. Oklahoma was 9-for-22 on 3-pointers after going 1-for-21 Sunday in a 66-37 loss to Texas.

Freshman guard Lawrence McKenzie led OU with 15 points. Alexander, who on Sunday left the Erwin Center on crutches after aggravating a sprained ankle, and freshman Drew Lavender each scored 11.

"It's always easy to say we dug a hole for ourselves at the start of the game," Tech coach Bob Knight said. "But Oklahoma put us in a hole. From that point on, we come back and we're in the game. Then Oklahoma took it away from us again.

"That was a real strong move on their part when we were one down. They just took it out and put us away. The only part of the game I'd be pleased with was us getting back into it."

The Red Raiders (17-6, 5-4) committed a season-high 22 turnovers, surpassing 18 they had in a 67-47 rout of the Sooners in Lubbock last month.

"Look at the improvement from the last time we played them until now," Sampson said. "Our two freshmen guards (McKenzie, Lavender) and De'Angelo were dynamite. That's the best Drew has played this year. And De'Angelo? Coming home Sunday, you should have seen his ankle. We were not sure he could play. He showed tremendous heart tonight.

"We keep plugging, and we'll be OK."

http://www.kansascity.com

 

[TheGeneral+]

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Texas Tech coach Bob Knight might have been happy with this win if his team was able to protect a big early lead.

No. 18 Texas Tech let Kansas State surge back from 13 points down to trail by three at halftime before the Red Raiders went on to an 82-71 victory Saturday night.
"I wish I could get to the point where I only think about the positives or think about the positives first," Knight said of his team's overall play. "When you're there and you keep that (lead) now you get to start the second half and you can end the game and you can end it quickly."

Andre Emmett, who led the Big 12 in scoring (21.6 points) coming into the game, had 26 points and 10 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season.

Tech (18-6, 6-4) led most of the way and built a 60-48 lead on a 10-footer by Ronald **** with 13:44 remaining in the game. Kansas cut the margin to 70-67 with 5:31 left, but Tech went on a 6-0 run with Emmett getting four of the points and the Wildcats didn't threaten again.

"That was kind of a dagger-in-the-heart time of the game," Kansas State coach Jim Wooldridge said. "We'd done a good job of cutting it down, but we were just not able to play as precise and as poised as we needed to during that stretch."

Devonne Giles matched his career high with 17 points and Jarrius Jackson added 11 for Tech.

The Wildcats finished with 19 turnovers.

"That hurt us, those lost possessions. They weren't even forced turnovers," said Jarrett Hart, who finished with 20 points. "Most of our mistakes tonight were self-inflicted. That's frustrating. We just have to go back and work on things and get ready for the next game."

Tim Ellis also scored 20 points and Marques Hayden added 10 for the Wildcats.

For the second consecutive game, 3-pointers hurt Tech. Oklahoma was 9-of-22 from beyond the arc to beat the Red Raiders 63-48 on Wednesday. Kansas State (11-10, 3-7) was 8-of-15, well above their season average of 35 percent.

The win snapped a two-game losing streak for Tech, which lost four of six after a 12-game winning streak. The Red Raiders and Knight are on the verge of winning 20 games for the third consecutive season, a feat never done at Tech.

Knight said he stressed an improved defense at the season's outset and the team has responded. He's already decided on next season's goal: better rebounding.

"We just give up too much," he said. "We get a hand on it instead of two; it's knocked away from us. I think we're a good team but for us to be a really good team, we've got to be a better rebounding team."

The loss continued the Wildcats' road woes. They haven't won on the road in eight games this season and have dropped 16 straight away from home dating to a 79-66 win at Wichita State in December 2002.

After holding a 13-point lead late in the first half, Tech led 44-41 at halftime. Kansas State used an 11-2 run over the final 1:31 that included three straight 3-pointers - two by Hart and one by Ellis - to close the gap.


http://www.foxsports.com/content/view?contentId=2144132

 

[TheGeneral+]

BOULDER, Colo. - Texas Tech never did have an answer for Colorado's 7-foot center, David Harrison.

Harrison had 24 points and 10 rebounds, Michel Morandais added 22 points and Colorado beat No. 22 Texas Tech 85-75 Wednesday night.

Harrison also had seven blocked shots, two assists and a steal.

"Harrison hurt us," Texas Tech coach Bob Knight said. "He played really well. This was as good as I've seen him play."

"I was just shooting shots and they went in," Harrison said. "(Tech forward Robert) Tomaszek was playing really hard in there. He was forcing me out of the low block and making me shoot turnaround jumpers instead of my jump hook."

Colorado (14-8, 6-5 Big 12) used runs of 9-2 and 15-6 to hold off the Red Raiders in the second half.

Texas Tech (18-7, 6-5) was led by Devonne Giles with 18 points and 18 rebounds, and Andre Emmett, who scored 16. The Red Raiders have lost five of their last seven games.

Emmett entered the game needing 19 points to tie the Big 12 career scoring record, held by Kansas' Nick Collison at 2,097.

"Our guys were determined not to let him get the record at Colorado," Buffaloes coach Ricardo Patton said. "To do that, you have to have some pride in your defense, and I think we had that tonight. We wanted to make sure that any time he put the ball on the floor that we double-teamed and even triple-teamed him."

Colorado, which led 48-42 at halftime, pushed its lead to 56-46 on Harrison's three-point play.

Texas Tech twice cut the deficit to four points, the second time on Ronald ****' steal and layup with 11:37 remaining.

Colorado responded with a 9-2 flurry, including Glean Eddy's layup and subsequent 3-pointer, for a 68-57 lead with 8:02 left.

Emmett's three-point play and ensuing rebound layup trimmed the lead to 70-66 with 5:31 to go, but Morandais countered with a three-point play that triggered a 15-6 surge. Morandais hit two free throws to make it 79-69, and Blair Wilson added a three-point play with 1:30 to go.

The Buffaloes got a scare in each half when Morandais and Harrison both fell to the floor with apparent leg injuries.

Midway through the first half, Morandais stole the ball and dunked on the other end, but he landed awkwardly, apparently injuring his right knee. He had to be assisted to the locker room, but returned three minutes later.

"The trainers said I hyperextended it," Morandais said. "When I got back to the training room, I just took some deep breaths and somehow it just got better."

Harrison went down with an injury to his right foot with 5:58 remaining and was helped to the bench, but he returned in two minutes.

"I was having cramps most of the night," Harrison said. "When I came down, I just cramped up. I knew I had to get back in there and do whatever I could, even if it meant just being a big body in the middle."

Harrison had 17 points and Morandais 14 in the first half, when the Buffaloes took a six-point halftime lead. Giles had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Red Raiders, who were outshot 54 to 47 percent in the half.

Morandais' basket on the play on which he was injured triggered a 6-0 run that put Colorado ahead 26-19. Texas Tech countered with a 7-0 run, including Emmett's three-point play and his steal and layup.

Morandais' 3-pointer capped Colorado's 7-0 flurry later in the half, giving the Buffaloes a 42-36 lead.

Harrison's slam dunk of a rebound with :02 left accounted for the halftime margin.

http://www.kansascity.com

 

[TheGeneral+]

Sat 02/21/2004 Texas A&M Lubbock, Texas 3PM

 

[TheGeneral+]

LUBBOCK, Texas (Ticker) -- Andre Emmett and Jarrius Jackson may not have started but they helped finish the worst team in the conference.

Emmett had 18 points to become the Big 12 Conference's all-time scoring leader and Jackson netted 19 as No. 23 Texas Tech got back on track with a 76-60 triumph over lowly Texas A&M.

Losers in three of its last five outings, Texas Tech (19-7, 7-5 Big 12) got back on track against the last-place team in the conference. They did so with a juggled lineup that saw Emmett and Jackson - a freshman - start on the bench.

Emmett, the only player on the team to start every game this season, provided a spark off the bench, making 6-of-10 shots. His dunk with 7:53 to go in the first half put Texas Tech ahead 27-12 and gave him 2,098 career points.

Former Kansas star Nick Collison held the previous record. Emmett has 1,112 points and needs just seven to move past Rick Bullock for first place in school history.

Jackson had started all but one game this season but he too began the contest on the bench. When inserted into the game, Jackson made his impact felt, making 7-of-10 shots.

Devonne Giles added 14 points, Robert Tomaszek 13 and Ronald **** 10 for the Red Raiders, who used a 13-3 run early in the first half to seize control.

Antoine Wright led Texas A&M (7-16, 0-12) with 17 points. The struggling Aggies have lost the last two games of their 12-game skid by a combined 36 points.

Texas Tech led, 7-5, 2:37 into the contest when a three-point play by **** ignited the key run. Giles had six points and **** five in the spurt, which was capped by a basket by Tomaszek with 11:44 to go.

The Red Raiders pushed their lead to 32-16 with 5 1/2 minutes to go in the half and led 38-24 at the break. Texas Tech shot 61 percent (14-of-23) over the opening 20 minutes and made all eight of its free-throw attempts.

Kevin Turner had 13 points points off the bench for Texas A&M, which committed 19 turnovers.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com