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LINCOLN — Sunday's Big Ten men's basketball matchup between Nebraska and Minnesota is a big game for Gophers center Elliott Eliason, but not for the reason you might think.

Yes, Eliason is from Chadron, Neb. And, yes, he held a Husker scholarship offer for 16 months before telling NU coach Doc Sadler he wanted to go elsewhere.

But the redshirt freshman said his first appearance at the Devaney Center since the 2010 Nebraska state high school championships has little to do with proving anything or showing well in front of family and friends.

"The importance of this game is for my team," Eliason said by phone from Minneapolis. "We need to get back on track.

"We think we're in the hunt for an NCAA tournament bid, so we need to win."

Eliason is doing his part for Minnesota (16-7, 4-6).

The 6-foot-11, 260-pounder draws regular praise from coach Tubby Smith for his physical presence and hustle. The reward for that has been playing time, especially after the season-ending injury to senior Trevor Mbakwe, the Big Ten's leading rebounder.

Eliason has played in all 23 games, starting four. His best game was eight points and seven rebounds in a win over Virginia Tech. Last week, he played 25 minutes in an overtime win over Illinois, producing five points, five rebounds and a blocked shot.

In a loss Wednesday at Iowa, Eliason played 18 minutes despite spraining an ankle in practice two days before. He grabbed six rebounds and added a steal, a block and an assist.

"I'm always ready to be out there," said Eliason, averaging 2.4 points and 3.6 rebounds. "A lot of people in their first year don't get to play that many minutes."

Eliason graded his play as "all right," adding, "I always think I can do better."

His role generally is screening and passing on offense, rebounding and defending the opponent's big man.

Sadler, in watching Minnesota game tape, said Eliason's play is noticeable.

"He's getting to play quite a bit," Sadler said. "He's a very big kid. He looks to be doing what they want him to do. He's not scoring a lot, but he's active."

Sadler also noticed Eliason at Chadron High School, which is why he offered an NU scholarship in March of Eliason's sophomore season.

Though flattered by the early attention, Eliason said he wanted to go through the recruiting process.

"I was pretty young at the time," he said. "I wanted to see how some things fell into place."

Being an instate prospect didn't mean Eliason was a big Nebraska basketball fan growing up 440 miles from Lincoln.

"I was more of a Nebraska football fan — like all my friends were — than basketball," he said. "I didn't follow basketball nearly as close as football."

Eliason told Sadler in July before his senior season that he was declining NU's offer, "so we went another direction," Sadler said. "It was his choice."

Eliason said he visited Stanford and had planned a trip to Creighton, but got "blown away" during a visit to Minnesota.

"I seemed to connect on a personal level, a basketball level and a school level right away," he said. "Minnesota was the right fit for me."

Minneapolis is 640 miles from Chadron, but Eliason has an aunt, uncle and cousins in the Twin Cities area.

Eliason already has seen a season worth of ups and downs with Minnesota through 23 games. The Gophers went 12-1 in nonconference play, then started the Big Ten 0-4 before coming back to win four of the past six.

"You can never take a league game off," he said. "Anyone can beat anyone from the top to the bottom. It keeps you on your toes, but it can be exhausting at times."

First-year college players often hit "the freshman wall" at this point because a high school season normally ends after this number of games.

Eliason isn't admitting to any fatigue.

"Minus my ankle, I'm still feeling pretty fresh," he said. "We have so much to play for that there is no letting up now."

Contact the writer:

402-444-1024, lee.barfknecht@owh.com

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