Dubbed “Mr. Consistency” by the media, Nick Collison thinks he’s lived up to the hype so far his junior season.

“I guess,” Kansas’ 6-foot-9, 250-pound junior forward said. “I have been as consistent this year as I’ve been. I’ve had a little foul trouble. I’m not shooting free throws very well. Other than that, defensively I’ve been pretty solid. Offensively I’ve been pretty solid.

KU junior forward Nick Collison puts up a shot over Keith Bean of Texas A&M during a game earlier this season. Collison is averaging 15.6 points per game on 60.5 percent shooting for the second-ranked Jayhawks.

“I’ve not had as many what could be called ‘great’ games, especially offensively, but I think I’ve been solid almost every night.”

Collison, who is averaging 15.6 points a game compared to 14.0 points a game his sophomore season and 10.5 points his freshman campaign, again is putting up some eye-opening numbers, especially regarding field-goal accuracy.

The Iowa Falls, Iowa native has hit 156 of 258 shots for 60.5 percent. Last year, he hit 187 of 313 shots for 59.7 percent. His rookie season he made 145 of 292 shots for 49.7 percent.

KU’s record for single-season field goal accuracy is 64.6 percent by Mark Randall in 1989. If Collison finished the season at his current rate, he’d be the seventh most accurate single-season shooter in KU history.

Randall is second at 64.3 percent in 1991, followed by Richard Scott (63.9 in 1992), Danny Manning (61.7 in 1987), Freeman West (61.3 in 1989) and Scott again (60.8 in 1993). Ken Koenigs hit for 60.3 percent in 1978.

“I’ve always taken good shots, that’s the big thing,” Collison said. “I’m not the greatest shooter on the floor by any means. I feel I can put myself in position on the post to get good shots. It’s something I’ve always been able to do.”

As for free-throw shooting, Collison can’t explain it. He’s worked extra on his foul shots since Christmastime, but is 60 of 107 for the year (56.1 percent) after Monday’s 1-for-4 outing at Texas. He hit 62.5 percent his sophomore season and 67.4 his freshman campaign.

“Just missed ’em,” he said of Monday’s attempts. “I know I can make free throws. You go up with confidence and make ’em.”

Collison, the career field goal percentage leader at Iowa Falls High School (66.9 percent) hit 73.4 percent of his charities as a prep.

“When he was home for Christmas he went to the gym every day to shoot free throws and shot them well,” Nick’s dad, Dave Collison, said Wednesday. Dave was Nick’s high school coach and is currently athletics director at Iowa Falls High.

“I sent him an e-mail yesterday reminding him how well he shot them at Christmas and not to worry about it. I think he’s like a pitcher struggling throwing strikes. At Texas he was long every time. He looked like he wanted to stick it in the basket. I am proud that it has not affected his play. He’s not pouting or anything, not worrying about it. Every time he goes to the line, he expects it will go in.”

Collison’s foul shooting hasn’t hurt the Jayhawks. High-scoring KU is 22-2 overall and 11-0 in the Big 12. The Jayhawks have yet to slip up in conference play.

“We realize getting up for each game is important,” he said. “As of right now we come to play every day. We have guys who realize you can get beat by anybody, especially in the conference. We didn’t realize it in the past.”

The Jayhawks have been careful to not provide bulletin board material for opponents like sometimes happened in the past.

“Anybody who has been interviewed since high school realizes you don’t always say what you really think sometimes. You say what they (reporters) want to hear,” Collison said. “We’ve done a good job of that, not like last year when Kenny (Gregory) said it’s (loss to Missouri) not like losing to Baylor and A&M and we go and get beat by Baylor. We’ve not said anything like that.”

He was asked if he thinks the Jayhawks are dull interviews.

“A lot of guys will tell you different things,” Collison said. “Drew (Gooden) will tell you he’s not (dull), which he’s not. I probably am dull with the media, I guess.”

One of KU’s three marquee juniors Collison, like teammates Gooden and Kirk Hinrich has been asked about his NBA intentions. Some scouts have said the junior forward will definitely be a first-round pick if he leaves school after this season.

“It is in your mind enough as it is,” Collison said, asked about questions he’s fielded about the NBA. “It’s what you dream about since you were a kid. We’re focusing on this year, but it’s something people ask you. It doesn’t do you a lot of good to worry about it now.

“Things change so much. Even from the end of the season until people go to draft camps it changes all the time. Drew probably gets more tired of the questions than me. He gets asked all the time. I’m obviously not in the spotlight as much as Drew.

“Kirk … after the Missouri game he was getting a lot of hype. People started talking NBA with him. It’s all pretty new to him. He doesn’t really know what to think about all that.”

The three amigos will all meet with coach Roy Williams after the season to see exactly where they stand with NBA scouts, and then the players will decide on their futures.

“We all appreciate the way coach Williams handles it. He calls some NBA people after the season, gets a sense of where they’d be taken (in draft), then talks to the players,” Dave Collison said. “That’s the appropriate time to think about it.

“As a fan I, worried at the beginning of the season: ‘Would it be a distraction, the guys trying to earn contracts in the NBA?’ I have been tremendously impressed. These kids are not focusing on anything but the next possession. They are playing possession to possession this season and having a lot of fun.”

Dave Collison realizes fans would love for the Jayhawks to simply say now they’ll be back next season.

“You can never say never,” Dave said. “It’d be easy and nice for Nick and Drew to say, ‘I’m not going,’ but look at Chris Owens at Texas blowing a knee out. Who knows what happens then? That puts a little perspective there. I can see why some guys want to strike while the iron is hot, so to speak.

“But look at Tinsley (Jamaal, Iowa State) who stayed his senior year and is doing great now (with Pacers). Look at Raef (LaFrentz) who was having so much fun he was not going to leave KU for the NBA until he had to. I know all of them are enjoying school and enjoying this team. Nick told me before the season he’d love playing this season and he was right.”

It’s easy to see why Collison is having a lot of fun. KU averages 92.6 points a game off 51.8 percent shooting.

“Overall we’ve brought the energy this year and passion of trying to run. We’re doing things the right way,” Collison said. “It’s a matter of intensity and concentration. We bring it every time.”

Recruiting note: Williams was in the Chicago area Tuesday to watch 6-foot-2 Proviso East junior Shannon Brown score 50 points in a 97-62 win over Hinsdale South. He hit 19 of 28 shots and 10 of 13 free throws. Brown is expected to consider Illinois, KU, Duke, Michigan State and others.