The university submitted its appeal to the NCAA Subcommittee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement on Wednesday. The case is expected to be heard next week.

The Tigers' next game is Dec. 30 against Kentucky.

"We're all in support of Kareem," coach Quin Snyder said after hearing the ruling Tuesday night following Missouri's upset of Illinois (No. 17 ESPN/USA Today, No. 15 AP). "I'm glad it's settled and we'll try and make something positive out of it."

The NCAA ruled Tuesday night that Rush can regain his eligibility, but must be held out of half of the team's games.

Rush, 6-foot-6, averaged 10.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 25 minutes the first eight games. He has sat out the last two pending an investigation into alleged payment from an AAU coach in Kansas City before he enrolled at Missouri.

Athletic director Mike Alden said there was no statute of limitations.

"When you see something impact somebody, particularly on issues that took place when he was 15 years old, that's even more troubling," Alden said. "He's a great representative of our university."

Rush could miss an additional 11 games under the ruling.

"Maybe it will be shorter, but if that happens to be 13 games that I'm out, I've just got to go about my business and work hard and when I come back, be the same player I was before I left," Rush said.

The NCAA said in its ruling that Rush will be required to repay the money, which will go to a charity of his choice.

Missouri met with a representative of the U.S. Attorney's office for the Western District of Missouri on Monday. The NCAA also is investigating the coach involved, Myron Piggie, for alleged payments to Rush and his older brother, JaRon, of UCLA. JaRon Rush also has been suspended.