This B1G Week 11/18-24

Hello and welcome friends to another edition of this B1G Week. Another Gavitt Tipoff Games have come and gone with the Big Ten being victorious for the second straight season with another 5-3 win. The biggest shock was Ohio State beating Villanova by 25 points. Michigan State pulled off a close victory over what should end up being a very good Seton Hall squad. On the more disappointing side is Iowa, who lost by 15 at to a pedestrian DePaul team, and Purdue, who blew a big lead to lose by ten to Marquette.

Looking ahead, this week could be classified as the calm before the storm. There isn't a single power conference team played this week and only three top 150 KenPom teams, in fact the average KenPom ranking for this week is only 242. Several of the teams are playing in Thanksgiving tournaments next week so this week will be light on the competition. 

Big Ten Game of the Week

Tuesday - 6:30 pm - BTN - Bucknell @ Penn State - This is a pretty sleepy week for the league with the Big Ten collectively playing not one power conference team and only three top 150 KenPom opponents. Two of those opponents are playing Penn State. That's it, that's the rationale behind picking this game.

Nonconference Game of the Week

Thursday-Friday - Varies - ESPN Family - Empire Classic - Early season tournaments are just starting up and the Empire Classic is the first interesting one to come up. The tournament begins with Texas and Georgetown facing off at 7 pm on Thursday and Duke vs Cal following. The championship and third-place games take place on Friday evening. Duke is the clear favorite to win this one but look out for Texas to put up a good fight. 

Power Ranking

1. Michigan State (0)
2. Ohio State (+1)
3. Maryland (-1)
4. Michigan (0)
5. Wisconsin (+3)
6. Penn State (+1)
7. Indiana (-1)
8. Purdue (-3)
9. Illinois (+1)
10. Rutgers (+1)
11. Iowa (-1)
12. Minnesota (0)
13. Northwestern (0)
14. Nebraska (0)

Power Ranking Thoughts

There was some moving and shaking in the middle of the pack this week. Wisconsin made the biggest leap of the week after their impressive win against in-state rival Marquette. On the other end, Purdue had the biggest fall after blowing a huge lead against the same Marquette team. 

Actual Rankings

1. Indiana 4-0
2. Maryland 3-0
3. Michigan 3-0
4. Ohio State 3-0
5. Penn State 3-0
6. Rutgers 3-1
7. Wisconsin 3-1
8. Illinois 2-1
9. Iowa 2-1
10. Michigan State 2-1
11. Purdue 2-2
12. Northwestern 1-1
13. Nebraska 1-2
14. Minnesota 1-3

B1G Picks

Monday

6:30 pm - BTN - Charleston Southern @ Michigan

Grant's Pick: Michigan, Troy's Pick: Michigan

8 pm - ESPNU - Hawai'i @ Illinois 
Grant's Pick: Illinois, Troy's Pick: Illinois

8:30 pm - BTN - Stetson @ Ohio State
Grant's Pick: Ohio State, Troy's Pick: Ohio State

Tuesday

6:30 pm - BTN -Bucknell @ Penn State
Grant's Pick: Penn State, Troy's Pick: Penn State

8 pm - BTN + - Radford @ Northwestern
Grant's Pick: Northwestern, Troy's Pick: Northwestern

8:30 pm - BTN - Fairfield @ Maryland
Grant's Pick: Maryland, Troy's Pick: Maryland

Wednesday

7 pm - BTN + - Stephen F Austin @ Rutgers

Grant's Pick: Rutgers, Troy's Pick: Rutgers

7 pm - BTN - Princeton @ Indiana
Grant's Pick: Indiana, Troy's Pick: Indiana

9 pm - BTN - The Citadel @ Illinois
Grant's Pick: Illinois, Troy's Pick: Illinois

Thursday

7 pm - BTN - North Florida @ Iowa
Grant's Pick: Iowa, Troy's Pick: Iowa

8 pm - BTN + - Central Michigan @ Minnesota
Grant's Pick: Minnesota, Troy's Pick: Minnesota

9 pm - BTN - Green Bay @ Wisconsin
Grant's Pick: Wisconsin, Troy's Pick: Wisconsin

Friday

7 pm - BTN - George Mason @ Maryland
Grant's Pick: Maryland, Troy's Pick: Maryland

7 pm - BTN + - Houston Baptist @ Michigan
Grant's Pick: Michigan, Troy's Pick: Michigan

7 pm - BTN + - IPFW @ Ohio State
Grant's Pick: Ohio State, Troy's Pick: Ohio State

8 pm - Norfolk State @ Northwestern
Grant's Pick: Northwestern, Troy's Pick: Northwestern

8 pm - BTN + - Southern @ Nebraska
Grant's Pick: Nebraska, Troy's Pick: Nebraska

Saturday

Noon - BTN + -  Yale @ Penn State
Grant's Pick: Penn State, Troy's Pick: Penn State

8 - BTN - Jackson State @ Purdue

Grant's Pick: Purdue, Troy's Pick: Purdue

8 - BTN+ - Hampton @ Illinois
Grant's Pick: Illinois, Troy's Pick: Illinois

Sunday

5 pm - BTN - Cal Poly @ Iowa

Grant's Pick: Iowa, Troy's Pick: Iowa

7 pm - BTN - North Dakota @ Minnesota
Grant's Pick: Minnesota, Troy's Pick: Minnesota

Grant's Previous Week Pick Record: 16-3

Grant's Total Pick Record: 37-7

Troy's Previous Week Pick Record: 14-5

Troy's Total Pick Record: 35-10



To stay up to date on the newest Head in the Game articles (and general sports commentary), follow @headingameblog on Twitter. You can also find us on Twitter @T_RoyStory (Troy) and @G_Tingley (Grant)