This B1G Week 1/27-2/2

Hello and welcome friends to another edition of this B1G Week. Obviously, this is a tough time in the basketball world. If you haven't already read Grant's piece about Kobe Bryant's death I would highly recommend it, click here to read it. Life is short, sometimes way too short, so we appreciate you taking time out of your life to read what we right.

In this week's edition of This B1G Week we'll be debuting a brand new segment. This segment is called Team of the Week and Team of the Weak. Basically, Team of the Week is highlighting a Big Ten team that had a great previous week and Team of the Weak is the exact opposite. This will be replacing the Power Ranking as let's be honest the Big Ten is too weird this year to have an actual strong idea of where everyone belongs. 

Big Ten Game of the Week

Saturday - 1 PM - Fox - Michigan State @ Wisconsin - Things are about to get mad in Madison as the conference-leading Spartans of Michigan State square off against the Badgers. Okay, that was my best Gus Johnson impersonation. MSU heads into the week in a tie for first with Illinois while Wisconsin is just two games behind them despite a disappointing non-conference season.

Nonconference Game of the Week

Saturday - 6 PM - ESPN - Kentucky @ Auburn - This is a game with huge implications in the SEC title race. The young Wildcats are starting to hit a groove where they are all starting to figure out college basketball after winning a tough one at Texas Tech. Auburn got real close to being the last undefeated team until they had a two-loss week recently. At the end of the day, I think Kentucky just has more talent and home-court advantage doesn't seem to be a thing outside of the Big Ten. 

Team of the Week

Illinois Fighting Illini - Win on the road at Purdue, Win on the road at Michigan - The Fighting Illini had an excellent week. They picked up wins at Purdue which is always a very tough place to win and followed it up with a victory at Michigan. Illinois has been a big surprise so far in conference play as they are in a tie against Michigan State for first and actually have a winning record on the road. 

Team of the Weak

Michigan Wolverines - Loss to Penn State at home, Loss to Illinois at home - Michigan had a rough week. In a season where the home-court advantage is insane in the Big Ten, the Wolverines dropped two at home. At one point this team was ranked in the top five and now they are 12th in the league with a huge uphill battle left this season. 

Actual Rankings

1. Michigan State - 7-2 - 15-5
2. Illinois - 7-2 - 15-5
3. Maryland - 6-3 - 16-4
4. Rutgers - 6-3 - 15-5
5. Iowa - 5-3 - 14-5
6. Wisconsin - 5-4 - 12-8
7. Indiana - 5-4 - 15-5
8. Minnesota - 5-5 - 12-9
9. Penn State - 4-4 - 14-5
10. Purdue - 4-5 - 11-9
11. Ohio State - 3-6 - 13-7
12. Michigan - 2-6 - 11-8
13. Nebraska - 2-7 - 7-13
14. Northwestern - 1-8 - 6-13

B1G Picks

Monday

8:30 pm - BTN - Wisconsin @ Iowa

Grant's Pick: Iowa, Troy's Pick: Iowa

Tuesday

7 pm - ESPN U - Michigan @ Nebraska
Grant's Pick: Michigan, Troy's Pick: Michigan

8 pm - BTN - Purdue @ Rutgers
Grant's Pick: Rutgers, Troy's Pick: Rutgers

Wednesday

6:30 pm - BTN - Northwestern vs Michigan State

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

8:30 pm - BTN - Indiana @ Penn State
Grant's Pick: Penn State, Troy's Pick: Penn State

Thursday

7:30 pm - FS1 - Minnesota @ Illinois
Grant's Pick: Illinois, Troy's Pick: Illinois

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

Saturday

Noon - ESPN - Indiana @ Ohio State

Grant's Pick: Ohio State, Troy's Pick: Ohio State

1 pm - Fox - Michigan State @ Wisconsin
Grant's Pick: Michigan State, Troy's Pick: Wisconsin

4:30 pm - BTN - Rutgers @ Michigan
Grant's Pick: Michigan, Troy's Pick: Michigan

7 pm - BTN - Penn State @ Nebraska 
Grant's Pick: Penn State, Troy's Pick: Penn State

9 pm - BTN - Purdue @ Nothwestern
Grant's Pick: Purdue, Troy's Pick: Purdue

Sunday

1 pm - FS1 - Illinois @ Iowa
Grant's Pick: Iowa, Troy's Pick: Iowa

Grant's Previous Week Pick Record: 7-6

Grant's Total Pick Record: 140-58

Troy's Previous Week Pick Record: 7-6

Troy's Total Pick Record: 144-54



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)

The Impact of Kobe Bryant

Japanese writer Haruki Murakami once said, "Death is not the opposite of life, but a part of it." Unfortunately, that part of life sometimes sneaks up on people much too early. I often think to myself, "Life isn't fair". But I should be grateful that my lungs are still breathing, my heart is still beating and my brain is still thinking. Because any moment, the "death" part of my life could commence. Tragically, several people entered that part of life on Sunday, including former NBA star Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, when they were killed in a helicopter crash. Kobe was only 41 years old.

Let's start with what everybody already knows about Kobe: he was a baller. The "Black Mamba" played 20 seasons in the NBA, all of them with the Los Angeles Lakers. In that time, he averaged 25 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. He totaled 33643 points, the fourth-most in NBA history. He once scored 81 points in a single game, the second-most ever. He made the All-Defensive team 12 times and was All-NBA 15 times. He won an MVP award and was Finals MVP twice. And he won five NBA Championships and two Olympic gold medals. He is probably one of the five or ten best players ever.

I'll be honest, I have never been a big Kobe Bryant fan. I thought of him as overrated, and I was rubbed the wrong way by his alleged sexual assault from 2003. Despite that, I cannot deny that he was a generational player with a legendary work ethic. I cannot deny that he was very willing to teach and praise the younger generation after he retired. I cannot deny that he was a big proponent of the advancement of the women's game. And I cannot deny that he was incredibly influential to so many people. That's what really made his death resonate with me.

Death is difficult. No matter what you think of the person when they are alive, few people deserve to die, especially before they get the chance to grow old. Death is especially difficult when it affects so many people. Kobe and Gianna Bryant's deaths were like a major earthquake, affecting swaths of people everywhere, even if just in the slightest way. And that's not even mentioning the people affected by the other victims of the crash, which included a baseball coach, a basketball coach and multiple teenage girls. Several different athletes have died in the prime of their lives. Each time a sports star dies young, it sends shock waves through the entire sports world. Kobe's death sent shock waves through the entire world.

Just taking a quick stroll through social media the past day will show you how much Kobe Bryant meant to so many people. People from all walks of life joined in mourning his passing. Many shared stories of how Kobe had inspired them or impacted their lives. Others recounted memorable moments in his career, like the time he played on a torn Achilles, or the time he was featured on a rap song. I saw someone tweet that Sunday would be a day the sports world would never forget. I think that person was wrong. I think Sunday could be a day that the world in general will never forget.

Kobe Bryant may be the most influential basketball player of the 21st Century. The only other person with a case is LeBron James, and one could even argue that Kobe surpasses the greatest player of all-time in terms of influence. After all, it is his name that people shout when they pretend to be a basketball star, shooting crumpled pieces of paper into garbage cans. It is his name that actual basketball stars (including LeBron) most often cite as their inspiration. It is his name that I hear a lot when rappers mention basketball in their songs. It is his name that people who don't watch sports often come up with first when they are asked to name a famous basketball player. You do not have to know sports, basketball or the NBA to know Kobe. That's the impact he had.

Even after Kobe retired, he still remained a major part of society's consciousness. He won an Oscar and an Emmy. He started his own multimedia company. He appeared in commercials. He coached his daughter's basketball team. He even became a viral meme. He also gave props to current players on social media, including just a day before he died, when he tweeted congratulations to LeBron for passing him on the all-time scoring list. It's hard to think that less than 24 hours later, Kobe was no longer with us.
                                     

I, like many other people, couldn't believe it when I heard news that Kobe Bryant had died. Even after several respected sources confirmed the news, it still felt surreal. I had never imagined a world in which Kobe Bryant was dead. I still can't, even though I'm living in it. I also never imagined I would write an article about him. But not many people have had quite the wide-ranging impact that Kobe had. To quote writer Terry Pratchett, "No one is actually dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away." If that is the case, Kobe (and Gianna) Bryant will never truly die.

This B1G Week 1/20-26

Hello and welcome friends to another edition of this B1G Week. It's Grant here. You may know me as "the other guy who makes picks every week in this article". I am taking over for Troy this week as the main author. Think of me as a guest host. Don't worry, Troy will still be providing his picks for the week, and he'll be back as "host" next week.

I do not follow the college basketball season nearly as closely as Troy, but I will try my best to provide analysis and fill the void this week. It's been a couple of weeks since I last watched an entire college basketball game. I've been busy watching other things, including a game show where people only interact via social media, a show about two old women whose ex-husbands are gay, and a show that is mostly Gordon Ramsey yelling at people.

Big Ten has been absolutely wild thus far this season. Road teams are a combined 16-52 in conference play. Illinois and Rutgers are ranked, while Purdue, Michigan and Ohio State are in the bottom half of the Big Ten standings. Trying to predict who will win each week has been a crapshoot. That being said, we'll take another go out it and hope we shoot better crap this week.

Big Ten Game of the Week

Wednesday - 9 pm - BTN - Rutgers @ Iowa - This represents the only Big Ten matchup between ranked teams this week. The sports powerhouse that is the Rutgers Scarlet Knights is ranked 24th in the nation and are just one game back of Michigan State in the conference standings. The 19th-ranked Hawkeyes are a game behind Rutgers. Safe to say that this game will have a great impact on the Big Ten race.

Nonconference Game of the Week

Tuesday - 7 pm - CBSSN - Butler @ Villanova - Yes, I'm going with the square answer for each game of the week: the highest ranked-vs-ranked matchups. The number nine team in the country (Villanova) hosts the number thirteen team (Butler) Tuesday night The Bulldogs have lost their last two games, and they'll hope to get back on track in a battle of Big East teams that are chasing Seton Hall. 

Power Ranking

Troy's

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

Grant's

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

Power Ranking Thoughts

I started with Troy's power rankings from last week, then went from there to create my own. I think MSU and MD are the most talented teams in the conference, and they are also the highest-ranked. I believe in Rutgers, but I still look at them with a skeptical eye. Despite being an Ohio State fan, I have the Buckeyes 12th, which is where Troy had them last week (and where they're ranked now). I think they are better than 12th, but right now, they're a mess.

Actual Rankings

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

B1G Picks

Tuesday

7 pm - FS1 - Maryland @ Northwestern
Grant's Pick: Maryland, Troy's Pick: Maryland

7 pm - ESPN/2/U - Illinois @ Purdue
Grant's Pick: Purdue, Troy's Pick: Purdue

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

Wednesday

7 pm - BTN - Penn State vs Michigan

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

9 pm - BTN - Rutgers @ Iowa
Grant's Pick: Iowa, Troy's Pick: Iowa

Thursday

6:30 pm - FS1 - Minnesota @ Ohio State
Grant's Pick: Ohio State, Troy's Pick: Ohio State

8:30 pm - FS1 - Michigan State @ Indiana
Grant's Pick: Michigan State, Troy's Pick: Michigan State

Friday

7 pm - FS1 - Wisconsin @ Purdue
Grant's Pick: Wisconsin, Troy's Pick: Purdue

Saturday

Noon - FS1 - Illinois @ Michigan

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

2 pm - BTN - Nebraska @ Rutgers
Grant's Pick: Rutgers, Troy's Pick: Rutgers

Sunday

1 pm - CBS - Maryland @ Indiana
Grant's Pick: Indiana, Troy's Pick: Indiana

3 pm - Fox - Michigan State @ Minnesota
Grant's Pick: Michigan State, Troy's Pick: Michigan State

6:30 pm - Ohio State @ Northwestern 
Grant's Pick: Ohio State, Troy's Pick: Ohio State

Grant's Previous Week Pick Record: 9-3

Grant's Total Pick Record: 133-53

Troy's Previous Week Pick Record: 12-0

Troy's Total Pick Record: 138-48



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)

This B1G Week 1/13-19

Hello and welcome friends to another edition of this B1G Week. Well, that was a weird week. We saw a Purdue team who just a week earlier struggle to score 37 points beat a red hot Michigan State team by almost 30. It also saw Ohio State who earlier in the year was ranked number 2 nationally drop its fourth straight. The Big Ten is mad weird and I'm down for it. Except for when I'm trying to figure the power rankings, in that case, screw them. 

Big Ten Game of the Week

Tuesday - 9 PM - ESPN 2- Maryland @ Wisconsin - Maryland is headed to Madison for a midweek matchup against the mighty Badgers. Sorry I got stuck on the M train there. The Terps are trying to recement themselves as one of the top teams in the league by scoring a road victory against a Wisconsin team that's trying to prove a less than stellar non-conference season was just a learning curve.

Nonconference Game of the Week

Saturday - 6 PM - ESPN - Louisville @ Duke - This should be a good matchup in Durham. The Cards have been a strong team and Duke has electric freshmen as per the norm. I'm leaning toward Louisville since road teams actually have a winning record in the ACC this year. That's the exact opposite to winning on the road in the Big Ten where the only thing harder is two day old Krispy Kreme, which is why I donut local. 

Power Ranking

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

Power Ranking Thoughts

Each week these power rankings get harder and harder to do. I guarantee that next week they'll look completely different. You'll notice a couple huge movers. Illinois is one three-game winning streak including wins @ Wisconsin and beating a Purdue team by nearly 30 who beat a Michigan State team by nearly 30 a week later. On the other end, Ohio State is our big loser. They've 4 straight and haven't exactly looked convincing doing so. 

Actual Rankings

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

B1G Picks

Tuesday

6:30 pm - FS1 - Nebraska @ Ohio State
Grant's Pick: Ohio State, Troy's Pick: Ohio State

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

9 pm - ESPN 2 - Maryland @ Wisconsin
Grant's Pick: Maryland, Troy's Pick: Wisconsin

Wednesday

7 pm - BTN - Indiana vs Rutgers

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

9 pm - BTN - Penn State @ Minnesota
Grant's Pick: Minnesota, Troy's Pick: Minnesota

Friday

7 pm - FS1 - Wisconsin @ Michigan State
Grant's Pick: Michigan State, Troy's Pick: Michigan State

9 pm - FS1 - Michigan @ Iowa
Grant's Pick: Iowa, Troy's Pick: Iowa

Saturday

Noon - ESPN/2/U - Ohio State @ Penn State

Grant's Pick: Ohio State, Troy's Pick: Penn State

2 pm - ESPN 2 - Purdue @ Maryland
Grant's Pick: Maryland, Troy's Pick: Maryland

5 pm - BTN - Northwestern @ Illinois
Grant's Pick: Illinois, Troy's Pick: Illinois

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

Sunday

1 pm - BTN - Minnesota @ Rutgers
Grant's Pick: Rutgers, Troy's Pick: Rutgers

Grant's Previous Week Pick Record: 6-8

Grant's Total Pick Record: 124-50

Troy's Previous Week Pick Record: 7-7

Troy's Total Pick Record: 126-48



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)

This B1G Week 1/6-1/12

Hello and welcome friends to another edition of this B1G Week. Another week another round of the crazy intense competition. The Big Ten continues to be as strong as we thought they could be with no end in sight. Yadda yadda yadda, here it is. 

Big Ten Game of the Week

Tuesday - 7 pm - ESPN - Ohio State @ Maryland - We're turning up on a Tuesday eating crabs and watching hoops. The Buckeyes have cooled off after their red hot start while Maryland has looked very good as of late. This should be a very exciting game early in the conference season so keep reading to see our picks.

Nonconference Game of the Week

Saturday - 1 pm - CBS - Baylor @ Kansas - Meanwhile in a conference with the word Big and with ten teams. Some excitement in the flattest place imaginable as we have a top five match up this Saturday. Kansas has been up to their normal standards while Baylor has been somewhat of a surprise so far this season. This should be a good one between two good teams that already has big implementation for the Big 12 race. 

Power Ranking

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

Power Ranking Thoughts

There was a ton of moving in this week's power rankings. Wisconsin made a huge jump after their very impressive road win at Ohio State. What was at one time looked like a disastrous season for the Badgers looks like it's back on track. 

Actual Rankings

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

B1G Picks

Tuesday

7 pm - ESPN - Ohio State @ Maryland
Grant's Pick: Ohio State, Troy's Pick: Maryland

7 pm - BTN - Penn State @ Rutgers
Grant's Pick: Penn State, Troy's Pick: Penn State

9 pm - BTN - Iowa @ Nebraska
Grant's Pick: Iowa, Troy's Pick: Iowa

Wednesday

7 pm - BTN - Northwestern @ Indiana

Grant's Pick: Indiana, Troy's Pick: Indiana

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

Thursday

7 pm - FS1 - Purdue @ Michigan
Grant's Pick: Michigan, Troy's Pick: Michigan

9 pm - ESPN 2 - Minnesota @ Michigan State
Grant's Pick: Michigan State, Troy's Pick: Michigan State

Friday

7 pm - FS1 - Maryland @ Iowa
Grant's Pick: Maryland, Troy's Pick: Iowa

Saturday

Noon - Fox - Ohio State @ Indiana

Grant's Pick: Ohio State, Troy's Pick: Ohio State

Noon- BTN - Rutgers @ Illinois
Grant's Pick: Illinois, Troy's Pick: Illinois

2:15 pm - BTN - Wisconsin @ Penn State
Grant's Pick: Penn State, Troy's Pick: Penn State

4:30 pm - BTN - Nebraska @ Northwestern
Grant's Pick: Northwestern, Troy's Pick: Northwestern

Sunday

Noon - CBS - Michigan State @ Purdue
Grant's Pick: Michigan State, Troy's Pick: Michigan State

1 pm - BTN - Michigan @ Minnesota
Grant's Pick: Minnesota, Troy's Pick: Michigan

Grant's Previous Week Pick Record: 9-2

Grant's Total Pick Record: 118-42

Troy's Previous Week Pick Record: 9-2

Troy's Total Pick Record: 119-41



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)