By Christina Teller
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
PITTSBURGH – Memo from Mellon Arena: Billy Knight is back. The
corner is his again.
In the Bruins’ 80-58 first-round victory over Ole Miss, Knight
went for 21 points, 7-for-13 from the field, including 5-for-7 from
downtown.
During Thursday’s practice, Knight couldn’t miss and said he
hadn’t felt that rhythm since before the Bruins played at Stanford
a year ago. That day, Knight went for 22 points in the Bruins’
second dethroning of a No. 1 Stanford team.
And although Ole Miss isn’t a No. 1-caliber team, it didn’t
matter. Coming into Friday, Knight had averaged 9.8 points per game
over the last six games. Though his overall average still sat at
13.9 ppg, he hadn’t eclipsed that mark since the Bruins won at
Stanford on Feb. 23.
Knight had been dealing with a sore ankle over the past few
weeks, which prevented him from being able to take extra shots
after practice. But in the last week, Knight was able to started
shooting more on his own time, which helped him reclaim his
groove.
"Over the last couple weeks, I started shooting late at night at
Pauley Pavilion with my dad and he just helped me get my shot
back," Knight said. "I think I just needed the week to shoot."
And on Friday, in order to win, the Bruins needed a few shooters
to get hot. Knight more than answered his part of the call.
As the first half wore down, Ole Miss emerged from a 15-point
deficit. The Bruins slipped in seven quick points, capped by
Knight’s buzzer beating three-pointer. With less than 10 seconds on
the clock, Knight called for the ball at the elbow. After a few
quick dribbles, Knight pulled off his defender and put up a beauty
that slipped through the net, giving the Bruins a 10-point
lead.
"I’m real happy for Billy Knight," Bruin point guard Cedric
Bozeman said. He’s been in a slump, but tonight was a breakout
night, and he hit some big shots to pull us further ahead."
And he was just getting started. Just minutes into the second
period, Knight put on a show, converting three three-pointers in
three straight possessions from his trademark spot in the
corner.
It was a combination of a more aggressive Bruin offense and the
fact that Ole Miss didn’t seem to know about Knight’s favorite spot
on the floor.
"The Pac-10 schools know me real well, and every time I would
run down against Pac-10 schools, they were right with me," Knight
said. "These guys didn’t seem like they were with me very much, so
that’s probably why I got so many open looks."
And with the Bruins up 21 points with 7:58 left in the game,
Knight stood in front of the bench, with a pale blue towel slung
over his right shoulder. As he casually took swigs from his
NCAA-issued water bottle, Knight looked as if he had just finished
a jog.
Anyone watching, though, knew it was much more than that. Knight
had returned from a hiatus and was back as the shooter he knew he
could be.