Nix and Payne have utilized their vastly different styles of play to help the Spartans (17-4 overall, 6-2 Big Ten) stay atop the conference standings.

Both Nix and Payne average about 18 minutes a game at center and put up solid numbers as a pair. Head coach Tom Izzo said earlier this season their statistics combined to make for great production at the position. Combined, the pair averages 15 points and eight rebounds while shooting nearly 60 percent.

“I feel good about the fact that we have a unique thing with those two guys,” Izzo said. “They’re both 20 minute a game players, and that’s good because they’re different.”

Both players feel comfortable with the playing time Izzo and the coaching staff give them, made easier by the friendship they’ve forged.

“No, (we don’t) really fight for minutes ‘cause we already really know that we gonna play,” Payne said. “We’re gonna get tired so somebody gonna sub in and get it. As long as we keep going hard and progress, things will get better.”

With Nix, Izzo gets a 6-foot-9, 270-pound bruiser with nimble feet and hands. In Payne, he gets a 6-foot-10 athletic standout. The different styles of play allow the team to matchup against any team, or create mismatches.

“We’re like peanut butter and jelly,” Nix said. “He’s got stuff I don’t got, I’ve got stuff he don’t got. It kind of complements each other.”

Izzo has started Payne in all but one game this season and said it’s mostly due to how well Nix comes off the bench and Payne’s small lung capacity.

Recently, Nix has played well, scoring 10 or more in three of the last five games — including leading the team with 13 points at Michigan.

Izzo says he is relatively happy with Nix’s output, but would like to see more out of Payne, who sometimes seems a little lax and thinks dunks are worth the world.

“He drifts in and out. He does not run as hard as he can,” Izzo said of Payne’s focus. “But Adreian is Adreian. … Dunks excite him. But he has to understand the way you get them is run ahead of everybody and catch the ball.”

Last season, a logjam at the forward position limited the two to about eight minutes a game. And for Nix, his weight became an issue after working his way into great shape. This season, Nix has kept up his conditioning and continues to get in better shape, as Payne continues with lung capacity issues.

Izzo came into this season expecting increased production from the pair, and they’ve done that. Still, Izzo wants more out of Payne — and the first-year Spartans. If every player on the team plays like they can at a single time, Izzo said the potential is great.

“There’s no question. Beginning of the year, (Payne) was by far my best big guy,” Izzo said. “And sooner or later, they’re all gonna come together. If they do, they’re gonna be really, really good. If they don’t, they’re gonna be a good team. That’s where we are.”