Tubby Smith is taking over a Texas Tech basketball program that hasn't exactly been successful in recent years -- at least not since Bob Knight retired during the 2008 season.

Texas Tech was where Knight took his last coaching job a year after his firing at Indiana. Knight turned the team over to his son, Pat, who had a 16-42 conference record in the 3 1/2 seasons before he was replaced.

Things haven't gotten better.

Texas Tech last went to the NCAA men's basketball tournament in 2007 and, in the last two years, has a 4-32 record in Big 12 conference play. Things have been tough enough that there was sentiment for keeping the school's acting head coach this season after the team went 11-20.

So the expectations in Lubbock, Texas, are modest compared to what Minnesota fans are expecting from their new coach.

Tubby is Tech's third attempt at bringing in a big-name coach. In addition to Knight, the school hired Billy Gillispie in 2011.

Gillispie was the coach who replaced Smith when he left Kentucky for Minnesota. At Texas Tech, a combination of NCAA violations and allegations that he mistreated players led to his resignation last September following one full season and an 8-23 record.

According to a story last week from the web site of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, the Texas Tech wish list was more modest than the list so far associated with Minnesota. It included "former Nebraska coach Doc Sadler, Oral Roberts coach Scott Sutton, Indiana assistant Steve McClain and Southern Illinois coach Barry Hinson."

You can read more about the Texas Tech program in this story from the Lubbock newspaper's web site.

And you can watch Tubby's press conference at Texas Tech, which is scheduled for 2 p.m. today, on the Texas Tech athletics website.