Dec. 23, 2006

LUBBOCK, Texas (Ticker) -- Bob Knight is not one for celebration ceremonies. Even on the day he tied Dean Smith for the most wins in the history of college basketball.

Without much fanfare, Knight earned his 879th career win on Saturday as Texas Tech posted a 72-60 victory over Bucknell.

Knight can surpass Smith on Thursday when the Red Raiders (10-3) host Nevada-Las Vegas.

As the final seconds ticked away on Saturday, Knight received a pat on the shoulder from his son Pat, who is an assistant and the coach-designate at Texas Tech, before shaking hands with Bucknell coach Pat Flannery.

Bob Knight received a standing ovation from the crowd and waved to his wife, Karen, but there was no ceremony on the court.

"This thing isn't about me, it's about all the players and assistant coaches I've worked with, going all the way back to West Point 40 years ago," Knight said. "Everything in basketball is predicated on the team whether its wins or awards." In his 41st season of coaching, Knight has a career record of 879-353 at Texas Tech, Indiana and Army.

Knight won three national titles at Indiana in 1976, 1981 and 1987.

Knight's 1976 squad is the last college team to go undefeated for an entire season. He also coached the United States to an Olympic gold medal in 1984, the last American amateur team to claim Olympic gold.

Smith, who spent his entire 36-year career at North Carolina, set the all-time record for wins in 1997, surpassing Adolph Rupp, who had 877 wins.

In his sixth season with the Red Raiders, Bob Knight achieved most of his success with Indiana, winning 662 of 901 games and reaching the NCAA Tournament 24 times in 29 seasons.

Taking over a struggling Texas Tech program in 2001, Knight guided the Red Raiders to 20-win campaigns in each of his first four seasons.

In 2005, he reached the NCAA Tournament for the 27th time in his career, tying him with Smith for the most appearances. Texas Tech reached the regional semifinals as a sixth seed, Knight's 14th time making it that far in the NCAAs.