Gruen's Big Ten Glance: John Groce Failing To Live Up To Own Promises At Illinois

By Seth Gruen--

(CBS) Promises were made like a middle school kid running for student council president when Illinois basketball coach John Groce took the job in 2012. Granted, Groce wasn't campaigning for anything at the time. He had the job.

But there was still the obligatory grandstanding. He made promises to a program that went beyond wins and losses. He said he wanted to play an up-tempo style that engendered memories of Lou Henson's "Flyin' Illini" team. He wanted his teams to play an aggressive style of defense. Groce spewed out the obligatory buzzwords like "toughness," "tenacity" and "commitment" — those which leave uneducated fans giddy with excitement.

Four years later, those promises have seemed entirely hollow. Excuses followed. First it was a lack of talent, then a plethora of injuries. But at this point, Groce should have the talent and the depth to overcome any injuries.

I don't feel like I need to make an impassioned plea for Groce to be fired after the season concludes. At least, I hope I don't have to. His lack of success with a program that expects to win postseason games every year is enough reason. And that's to say nothing of the news that broke Friday morning that forward Leron Black had been arrested for threatening a campus bar bouncer with a knife.

Groce's failure to live up to his own expectations should serve as a blueprint for newly minted athletic director Josh Whitman as he, hopefully, begins to compile his list of potential replacements.

When Groce was hired, there wasn't much to suggest he was ready to coach major conference college basketball. He had made the NCAA Tournament twice in four years as the coach at Ohio, but that's a function of playing well come conference tournament time.

His tenure at Ohio proved an inability to win over the long term. Only once in four years did Groce win double-digit conference games in the putrid MAC. What has followed? Groce has never won double-digit Big Ten games, nor has he finished better than seventh in the conference.

This season will be his worst with the Illini, who sit at 12-14 and 4-9 in the Big Ten.

And then there's the point of player development, which goes underappreciated in college basketball but is important for a program like Illinois that won't ever rely solely on one-and-done players.

Name the players who have gotten better under Groce (cue elevator music).

There aren't any. Really, that's not hyperbole.

Junior point guard Jaylon Tate came to the program looking like a player capable of running a Big Ten offense. He made a quality decisions as a freshman but hasn't materialized into that player he looked like he could be. Tate did have surgery this season to repair a dislocated finger, but in 18.5 minutes this season, Tate averages just 2.1 points and 2.6 assists per game.

Say we don't see what goes on in practice? Maybe there's reason to warrant it? Well, whose fault is that? That's just one example of many. Kendrick Nunn, a junior and top-50 recruit, came to campus looking like he had an NBA future. Two years later, though he's averaging 16.5 points per game, he looks no closer to a professional future stateside.

There's more to evaluating a player than points for those screaming about a year in which he statistically improved.

So as we hopefully get to look forward to a replacement for Groce, compile a list of those entirely more substantive. We can hold his ideals important.

But the goal should be hiring someone with a track record of making good on them.

Big Ten power rankings

1. Michigan State (22-5, 9-5) -- By the end of the Big Ten season, this is usually the team that earns the top spot.

2. Iowa 20-6, 11-3) -- A loss to Penn State makes this team even more of a head scratcher.

3. Maryland (22-5, 10-4) -- The loss to Minnesota, the Terps second straight, was shocking.

4. Indiana (21-6, 11-3) -- It plays Purdue at home Saturday.

5. Purdue (21-6, 9-5) -- Boilermakers could flip flop with the Hoosiers after this weekend.

6. Michigan (19-8, 9-5) -- It's a big game at Maryland (for both teams) on Sunday.

7. Wisconsin (16-10, 8-5) -- The Badgers are off the bubble with a double-digit win at Maryland.

8. Ohio State (17-10, 9-5) -- Last three games of the season: Iowa once and Michigan State twice.

9. Nebraska (14-13, 6-8) -- The Huskers are the best of the bad.

10. Northwestern (17-10, 5-9) -- The Wildcats are on the NIT bubble.

11. Penn State (13-13, 4-9) -- The win over Iowa shows the Nittany Lions are still playing hard.

12. Illinois (12-14, 4-9) -- This program could turn around quickly with the right coach.

13. Minnnesota (7-19, 1-13) -- Congratulations, you won one, Gophers!

14. Rutgers (6-20, 0-13) -- Winless.

Seth Gruen is columnist for CBSChicago.com, focusing on college sports. You can follow him on Twitter @SethGruen.