Ice-cold Tigers claim their Big 12 opener

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Kareem Rush isn't playing like a preseason All-American these days. On Saturday, his coach said Rush isn't getting the officiating calls he should.

Rush was 3-for-13 after hitting his first two shots and scored eight points in the latest of a string of rough outings as No. 17 Missouri edged Nebraska 60-53 in its Big 12 opener.

"I'm surprised Kareem doesn't get more respect," Missouri coach Quin Snyder said. "For a player of the year candidate, I don't think he gets the respect he deserves on the floor."

Rush said he was fouled often without getting a whistle, and was only 1-for-2 at the free-throw line.

"I shoot an air ball -- I'm not that bad of a shooter," Rush said. "I got hit a couple times and I thought they could have made a call, but they didn't. Oh well, as long as we won the game, I'm happy."

Even though Rush led the Big 12 with a 21-point average last season, Snyder said his player still is adjusting to being the focal point of the offense.

"We'll go as far as Kareem takes us, that's what it really comes down to," Snyder said. "He's our guy, and that's a weight he's not used to carrying."

Clarence Gilbert hit five 3-pointers and scored 17 points as Missouri (11-3) overcame 37-percent shooting. Arthur Johnson and Wesley Stokes each added 11 points for the Tigers, who have won two straight since a three-game losing streak in December that sent them tumbling from No. 2 in the rankings.

"No one's perfect and unfortunately (Rush) had a bad game," Gilbert said. "He'll get right back on track like he needs to."

Stokes, a 5-foot-10 point guard, tied Johnson, a 6-9 center, for the team lead in rebounds with seven.

"I think everybody blocked out their guys, and pretty much I'm the cleanup guy," Stokes said. "I think I happened to be in the right spot some times."

Gilbert also struggled with his shot, going 5-for-15, but made half his 3-point attempts. He hit consecutive 3s at the start of an 11-0 run that pulled Missouri from three points down to a 44-36 lead with 11:34 to go.

Nebraska (7-5) narrowed the gap to 53-50 on John Robinson's 3-pointer with 3:42 left. The Cornhuskers, who started the season 6-0, did not score again until Cary Cochran hit a 3-pointer with 12 seconds left to make it 58-53.

Nebraska -- now 0-4 on the road -- kept the game close by playing a patient game, limiting possessions. Missouri had been averaging 81 points.

"We skewed our defense to try to lower the percentages that Rush and Gilbert would shoot," coach Barry Collier said. "But their team is too good to continually put two people on any one guy."

Rush is averaging 19.2 points. He had 23 points on 8-for-14 shooting in a victory over Coppin State on Wednesday, but during Missouri's losing streak he was just 15-for-51.

He said he's never had such a drought.

"It could be the defenses, the triple-teaming," Rush said. "It's really throwing me off-guard. My shot is not flowing like it usually does and it's really frustrating me."

Cochran had 12 points, and Jake Muhleisen 10 for Nebraska, which also shot 37 percent. The Cornhuskers are 0-6 in Big 12 openers, including three of the last four at Missouri.

"If you would have told me we would hold them to 60 points, I would have really liked our chances," Cochran said. "That would have meant they shot horribly."

Missouri scored the game's first seven points and later had a 9-2 run, but led only 30-25 at the half because of 37 percent shooting and five turnovers by Johnson. Gilbert was 3-for-10 and Rush 2-for-6 at the break.