"He is OK," said assistant coach Pat Knight, his father's designated successor. "It's just flu-like symptoms. Nothing serious."

Knight isn't expected to miss any practices or games.

Knight left the arena at halftime of the Red Raiders' 70-66 loss to Centenary on Saturday in Bossier City, La. Several minutes into the second half, Texas Tech sports information director Randy Farley went to look for him. When Farley returned, he told reporters that Knight was feeling ill and had left for the team hotel to rest.

"He couldn't do it," Pat Knight said. "He was just in bad shape."

Before leaving, Knight had a brief confrontation with about two dozen Centenary fans who were baiting him. He stopped and walked back, pointing his finger.

"We came here to play Centenary. Just think about that," Knight said, an apparent reference to Centenary being the nation's smallest Division I basketball school, with 910 students.

Pat Knight said his father is back in Lubbock and did not require hospitalization. He had been feeling ill since the team returned from a tournament in Anchorage, Alaska, last week.

Knight made off-court news last week when a Lubbock man claimed the coach had fired birdshot into his yard while hunting. Knight has declined to comment about the incident.