DALLAS - Bob Knight apologized for cursing during a television interview this week.
The Texas Tech coach went into a profanity-filled tirade after an ESPN reporter asked about his relationship with former player Steve Alford, who also was participating in the interview. Alford, who starred on Knight's 1987 national championship team at Indiana, is the coach of Iowa.
During his weekly television show, which was taped Tuesday, Knight said he should have been more careful in choosing his words.
"I think as a person, I always have a right to my opinion," Knight said. "But I think as a representative of the university, there should have been a way that I would have expressed that opinion over the question that was asked with a different choice of words.
"I've talked to the university about that and have apologized to them for that and really understand what should have happened and what I wish would have happened."
ESPN aired the interview during Texas Tech's 65-59 victory against Iowa on Monday.
"Neither the university nor the athletic department in any way condones the use of profanity in coach Knight's description of his feelings about the media," Texas Tech athletic director Gerald Myers said. "He apologized, and that's it."
Former coach Fran Fraschilla interviewed Alford and Knight for ESPN. Fraschilla asked Alford to talk about a perceived rift between he and Knight.
"How much was fact? How much was fiction?" Fraschilla asked. Before Alford could answer, Knight intercepted the question.
IOWA STATE: Guard Tim Barnes was declared ineligible for the season after it was determined he was participating in his fifth season of competition.
Barnes started all but one game last season and averaged 11.3 points and 5 assists. But he had not played this season after becoming academically ineligible the first semester.
NORTH CAROLINA: Seven games into the season, coach Roy Williams has brought stability and confidence back to his alma mater, where he spent 10 seasons as an assistant to Dean Smith. The Tar Heels had lost 36 games during the previous two seasons.
North Carolina (6-1) reached No. 4 in the Associated Press poll last week, its highest ranking since No. 1 in 2000-01, before Saturday's 119-114 triple-overtime loss to unbeaten Wake Forest.
"No coach is ever going to say they're pleased or that you're where you want to be unless it's the end of the season and you're the only one standing," said Williams, who left Kansas after leading it to the NCAA final last season.
"I'm not good enough to have a master plan to say where we should be at each week. We just go out every day and try to do the best we can do and try to get better."
