Still, it figures he will drum up memories of the surprising '05-06 Buckeyes to convince the '12-13 Illini preseason projections don't dictate the end result. And the first-year coach is hopeful a championship-caliber team will form at Illinois sooner than expected.

"I don't want to put a timeline on it. I just know that the championships that I've been a part of in the past have a combination of those things -- a great culture in place and talented players," Groce said. "Coaches, in general, are not patient. I didn't come into this thing saying, 'Hey, I've got a 10-year plan.' That's not my deal at all. I want to do it now. Some people will say that's not possible. I don't want to hear that. That's the way to approach it: Let's go with this deal and make it happen now. I think if you take that approach to this deal -- let's make it happen now -- you'll end up getting to that point quicker than if you had taken the other approach. We're trying to do everything we can to help the University of Illinois be competitive immediately."

Klee