Nix went home just one day for Christmas to see his mom, opting to stay in East Lansing to curb any urge to change the habits that have left him in the best shape of his basketball career.

In the Spartans’ (12-2 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) 80-65 victory of the then-undefeated Hoosiers, Nix scored 14 points and grabbed five rebounds.

During an Indiana run that saw an 18-point MSU lead change to a 10-point deficit, Nix appeared to be the only Spartan playing with any effort, senior forward Draymond Green said following the game.

Last year, Nix likely would have given up, or been too gassed, at his heavier weight to set an example for the rest of the team. This year, he and the team are completely different.

The change in attitude was seen in the two season-opening games. MSU jumped out to a lead against then-No. 1 North Carolina on the USS Carl Vinson at the Quicken Loans Carrier Classic, and didn’t collapse when the Tar Heels took over. A few days later in New York, the Spartans fought back from a large second-half deficit to cut the final score to just five points.

Last season, the Spartan morale would have been crushed and the games turned to blowouts.
Now the Spartans are riding a 12-game win streak — the longest since 2000-01 — and showed their will to succeed in Wednesday’s win against Indiana.

In a game of runs, the Spartans would have lost focus following the 23-2 Indiana run and given up. Instead, the Spartans wound up winning by 15 points.

With new components on the team, the Spartans have new chemistry and have turned a corner from last season’s disastrous outcome after high expectations.

Green came into this season with a mission to finish his career as one of the best MSU leaders in program history. So far, so good as he’s playing like an All-American candidate and 15 points and 10 rebounds.

The only other player who came into the season with more than 20 minutes a game, sophomore guard Keith Appling has played well too, as evidenced in his 25-point, seven-assist performance against Indiana.

The rest of the team takes turns showing up. Senior guard Brandon Wood provides a nice scoring punch. Freshmen Branden Dawson and Travis Trice have shown flashes of brilliance.

And then there’s Nix, who continues to hustle, improve and show the rest of the Spartans that with a little hard work, they can compete with anyone.