BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Bob Knight cherished the short stroll from the practice gym to Assembly Hall.
It ended his 20-year journey back to Hoosiers basketball.
Surrounded by dozens of former players and thousands of Indiana fans chanting “Bob-by, Bob-by,” the 79-year-old Knight finally returned to his home court Saturday to a rousing welcome.
“We love you, Bobby,” one fan shouted from the crowd.
Hoosiers fans spent years waiting and hoping they could give the once combustible coach the proper reward for everything he did in 29 seasons in Bloomington – three NCAA championships, a school-record 662 victories, 11 Big Ten titles and five Final Four appearances.
But the firing on Sept. 10, 2000 created a bitter split between Knight and the university. He declined opportunity after opportunity to reunite when his championship teams were honored. He even declined to come back for his induction into the school’s athletic Hall of Fame in 2009 because he didn’t want to detract from the other class members.
SATURDAY’S GAMES
(3) KANSAS 60, TCU 46: Udoka Azubuike had 20 points and 15 rebounds as the Jayhawks (20-3, 9-1 Big 12) matched an NCAA record with its 31st consecutive 20-win season, beating the Horned Frogs (13-10, 4-6) for Coach Bill Self’s 700th career victory in Forth Worth, Texas.
(5) LOUISVILLE 80, VIRGINIA 73: Steven Enoch scored 13 points, including the go-ahead free throws with 2:47 remaining, and David Johnson, Ryan McMahon and Malik Williams combined for eight more from the line to lift the Cardinals (21-3, 12-1 ACC) past the Cavaliers (15-7, 7-5), in Louisville, Kentucky, for their 10th consecutive victory.
(6) DAYTON 71, SAINT LOUIS 65: Obi Toppin scored 17 points and Jalen Crutcher led a second-half rally that swept the Flyers (21-2, 10-0) to a victory over the Billikens (17-7, 6-5), keeping the Flyers unbeaten atop the Atlantic 10 Conference.
(7) DUKE 98, NORTH CAROLINA 96 (OT): Freshman Wendell Moore scored on a putback as time expired to help Duke (20-3, 10-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) rally past North Carolina (10-13, 3-9) in overtime.
Moore’s follow of a missed jumper ended this one, a game that saw Duke rally from 13 down in the final 4½ minutes of regulation. Jones forced overtime, hitting a jumper at the regulation horn.
(8) FLORIDA STATE 99, MIAMI 81: M.J. Walker and Patrick Williams each scored 14 points as the Seminoles (20-3, 10-2 ACC) beat the Hurricanes (11-12, 3-10) for a season sweep, in Tallahassee, Florida.
(11) AUBURN 91, (18) LSU 90: J’Von McCormick hit a floater with 0.1 second left in overtime to lift Auburn (21-2, 8-2 SEC) to a win over LSU (17-6, 8-2) in Auburn, Alabama.
(12) SETON HALL 70, (10) VILLANOVA 64: Myles Powell had 19 points, Sandro Mamukelashvili scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half and the Pirates (18-5, 10-1) snapped a 17-game road losing streak to the Wildcats (17-6, 7-4), in Philadelphia.
OKLAHOMA 69, (13) WEST VIRGINIA 59: Kristian Doolittle scored 27 points and the Sooners (15-8, 5-5 Big 12) beat the Mountaineers (18-5, 6-4) in Norman, Oklahoma.
(15) KENTUCKY 77, TENNESSEE 64: Immanuel Quickley scored 18 points as the Wildcats (18-5, 8-2 SEC) beat the Volunteers (13-10, 5-5) to win for the sixth time in seven games and end its recent history of frustration in Knoxville, Tennessee.
(17) IOWA 96, NEBRASKA 72: Joe Wieskamp scored a career-high 30 points and Luka Garza added 22 to help the Hawkeyes (17-7, 8-5 Big Ten) bounce back from their worst loss of the season with a win over the Huskers (7-16, 2-10) in Iowa City, Iowa.
(22) PENN STATE 83, MINNESOTA 77: Lamar Stevens scored a career-high 33 points and the Nittany Lions (18-5, 8-4 Big Ten) beat the Golden Gophers (12-11, 6-7 Big Ten) in State College, Pennsylvania.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
(2) BAYLOR 54, KANSAS STATE 40: Juicy Landrum scored 11 points, Nalyssa Smith added and the Bears (21-1, 10-0 Big 12) beat the Wildcats (10-11, 4-6) in Manhattan, Kansas.
SAINT MARY’S 70, (11) GONZAGA 60: Taycee Wedin had career high’s of six 3-pointers and 24 points, Sam Simons added 22 points with five 3s and the Gaels (11-13, 6-7 West Coast Conference) ended No. 11 Gonzaga’s 21-game winning streak with a over the Bulldogs (23-2, 12-1) in Moraga, California.
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