LUBBOCK, Texas - Bob Knight celebrated his 877th victory by going hunting.

Texas Tech coach Bob Knight, second from left, watches the action during their basketball game with Louisiana Tech in Ruston, La. Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2006. Texas Tech's 66-59 victory at Louisiana Tech Wednesday was victory No. 876 for Knight, the one that tied him with legendary Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp for second place on the career list and moved him within three of tying former North Carolina coach Dean Smith for the top spot. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Knight moved two wins behind all-time leader Dean Smith on the Division I career coaching list when Texas Tech beat Centenary 98-64 on Saturday.

It was Red Raiders assistant coach Pat Knight who handled questions from the media after his father broke the tie for second place with Kentucky's Adolph Rupp, leaving him behind only the former North Carolina coach.

"It's like waiting for Brad Pitt and Martin Short walks in," the younger Knight said of his stand-in appearance when his father decided to pursue one of his favorite outdoor activities. "Honestly, we have never discussed (passing Rupp). We didn't discuss it when he tied it, and I didn't discuss it tonight when he passed him."

If the Red Raiders beat Arkansas in Little Rock next Saturday, Knight could tie Smith at home on Dec. 23, against Bucknell.

Smith, who retired in 1997, won 879 games in 36 years with the Tar Heels. The 66-year-old Knight, who is in his 41st season, got the bulk of his wins (662) at Indiana.

Knight tied Rupp on Wednesday when the Red Raiders won at Louisiana Tech.

Jarrius Jackson went 5-of-7 from 3-point range and scored 25 points for Texas Tech (8-3) on Saturday, while Charlie Burgess added 20 points on 9-of-9 shooting.

Pat Knight said the coaching staff is looking to Burgess for more scoring.

"It just can't be every third or fourth game," he said. "Charlie's been the one we've been worried about."

Burgess couldn't recall making all his shots in a game.

"This is the first time ever, kind of exciting," he said. "Hope I can do it again."

Tyrone Hamilton had 25 points for Centenary (4-5), while Alexander Starr added 13.

Texas Tech, which scored on 12 of its first 15 possessions, shot 62 percent (40-of-64) from the field for the game.

In the second half, Jackson scored seven straight points in less than a minute and Burgess got nine straight a few minutes later.

"Playing against Coach Knight, they always used to say you can find out what your weaknesses are," Gents coach Rob Flaska said. "We found out what our weaknesses were today."

The Gents started slowly, scoring only six points over the opening 9:53. Texas Tech built a 51-24 lead with about a minute left in the first half but Centenary scored two field goals in the final seven seconds.

Starr scored when he rebounded a missed free throw by Jeff Montague. Tech lost the ball on the inbounds play and Hamilton hit a 3-pointer from about 30 feet at the buzzer.

That didn't settle well with Knight, who stormed off the court after the five-point turnaround, screaming at his players as he left the floor.

Pat Knight had seen something similar during his father's last season at Indiana when Kirk Haston missed a block out. He thought better of intervening Saturday.

"I knew it was going to happen," Pat Knight said. "A wasn't even going to try to stop him."

Knight's moving to No. 2 on the wins list apparently wasn't a big attraction in Lubbock. Only 8,645 of the 15,098 seats in United Spirit Arena were filled.

Knight began his coaching career at West Point in 1965 when he was 24, earning him the distinction of becoming the youngest ever named to a major college school. In 1971, he moved to Indiana, where he won three national championships and 11 Big Ten titles.

He coached the Hoosiers for 29 seasons before being fired in 2000 for what school officials called a violation of a zero-tolerance behavior policy.

After a season away, Knight took over at Texas Tech and led the Red Raiders to 20-win seasons in his first four years.

In March 2005, the coach known as "The General" returned to the NCAA regional semifinals for the first time since 1994 with Indiana.

Last season turned sour, though. Tech finished 15-17, only the second losing season ever for Knight; the other was 1970-71 when his last Army club went 11-13. It was also only the second time a team of his hasn't gone to a postseason tournament. Knight has never been cited for NCAA violations but has garnered more headlines because of his temper, from his infamous chair-throwing tirade in 1985 to the long string of incidents that led to his acrimonious departure from Indiana.