Will Gophers coach Ben Johnson be forced to start talented big man Pharrel Payne?

Gophers big man Pharrel Payne making his inside presence felt with emphatic dunks and blocks has been a familiar sight in the past few weeks.

Payne is proving to be one of the top young post players in the Big Ten, but there’s one thing that definitely separates him from the rest: He doesn’t start.

“It’s definitely something that we look at,” Gophers coach Ben Johnson said Sunday.

But the 6-9 sophomore and Park Cottage Grove alum started only once in his career when he wasn’t an injury replacement for leading scorer Dawson Garcia. Coming off the bench Friday night, Payne led the Gophers with 17 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in a 74-62 loss at Indiana.

Go big or go home is the saying, but the Gophers (12-4, 3-2 Big Ten) traveled home with their seven-game win streak ended Friday without playing big enough — literally.

“We have to do a better job of getting the ball inside and establishing a low-post threat and presence,” Johnson said about Payne and Garcia.

But is it time for Payne to be in the starting lineup? The Hoosiers frontcourt combined for 52 points and 24 rebounds. More opposing size looms Monday when the Gophers play host to Iowa at Williams Arena.

“We’ll continue to look at that and if a lineup adjustment would help, depending on our status and who we’re playing,” Johnson said.

Iowa freshman Owen Freeman had 22 points and 10 rebounds in Friday’s victory over Nebraska. The Hawkeyes started the 6-11 center the past seven games — and they have won five of six.

Maybe the Gophers can learn from their rival how to handle Payne’s role moving forward.

The Gophers fared much better when playing through Payne inside Friday. After his team trailed 25-8, Payne scored eight of his 12 first-half points during a 15-3 run. He also had four blocks in the first half. Garcia was limited in the first half with early foul trouble.

In the second half, Payne surprisingly came off the bench again. He and Garcia eventually played well together. They scored the last 12 points of the game, but that was after facing a 21-point deficit.

“You’re always trying to think about offensive and defensive mismatches,” Johnson said. “Both those guys, if they have a one-on-one, they have to do a great job of getting to the rim. If they get [double teamed in the post], they’ve got to do a great job of reading it and getting the pass out.”

Johnson had avoided starting Payne and Garcia together. Seven of Payne’s eight career starts were when Garcia was sidelined, including three games this season when Garcia had an ankle injury. That was in nonconference play.

“The physicality in the Big Ten is definitely different,” Payne said after starting for Garcia last month. “Everybody’s bigger, faster, stronger.”

Johnson called the situation with Garcia and Payne “unique,” because they have two different playing styles that can be an advantage at center for the Gophers.

At 6-9 and 255 pounds, Payne is a load in the low post. He is averaging 12.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in his past five games, but he is also shooting 8-for-24 from the free-throw line (33%).

“In Pharrel’s stage of growing, every game is a chance for him to gain that experience,” Johnson said earlier. “He’s still raw. You saw him in high school. From where he was two years ago to where he is now, his growth has been phenomenal.”

The 6-11 Garcia’s shooting and ballhandling for his size forces opposing big men to guard him on the perimeter.

“When you play [Payne], do you lose the advantage early with Dawson?” Johnson said last month. “He’s really going to be playing starter minutes whether I [start him] or not.”

If not before, is now the time to start Payne? The Hoosiers had the tallest team in the Big Ten by average height, but Iowa’s not far behind in fourth. Iowa’s frontline goes 6-9, 6-9 and 6-11.

“We always want to give ourselves the best chance to get off to a good start,” Johnson said, “put ourselves in position to win.”