Bill Cubit was named offensive coordinator Monday by coach Tim Beckman, confirming speculation that Cubit, who was fired after eight years as Western Michigan head coach, would be coming to Champaign.

             ``I'm very excited to have an experienced coach like Bill Cubit join the staff,'' Beckman said in a news release. ``He's has always been known to have an outstanding football mind. Bill has had many extremely productive offensive teams during his career. He has called plays for many years, and has developed several outstanding quarterbacks.''

            Cubit, 59, succeeds co-coordinators Chris Beatty, who was fired, Billy Gonzales, who coach wide receivers.

            ``I have a lot of respect for Tim and his teams,'' said Cubit, who was 51-47 at Western Michigan. ``I'm enthused about joining a great staff and being a part of the Illinois football tradition. I look forward to getting to work immediately and competing for a Big Ten championship.''

            Under Cubit in 2011, Western Michigan finished 18th in the nation in points (35.3) and 19th in total offense (458.5 yards per game).

            Presumably, the hiring of Cubit will help Beckman clear up one of his public-relations no-fly zones. Late in the season, eyebrows were raised when Beckman said Beatty called plays on first and second downs, while Gonzales handled third down. 

            Akeem Spence will forego his last year of eligibility at Illinois to enter the NFL draft, the junior defensive tackle announced Friday.

            The Fort Walton Beach, Fla., native started every game the last three years after redshirting in 2009. He was third in tackles (72) and tied for second in tackles-for-loss (7) this fall, and was All-Big Ten honorable mention. That included 11 tackles, seven solos and two TFLs, all career highs, in his final Illinois appearance, at Northwestern.

         The 6-1, 305-pound Spence, who will graduate on Saturday with a degree in communications, has been projected as a third- to fourth-round prospect by some online scouting services.

         ``I would like to thank the University of Illinois for giving me an opportunity to become a great student-athlete,'' Spence said in a statement. ``The current and past coaching staffs have been very supportive. My family and I look forward to the journey ahead.''

            Spence is the eighth Illinois player in the last six years to enter the draft with eligibility remaining. The previous seven all were taken in the first three rounds, including four first-rounders, tied with Florida and USC for the second-most first-round picks. Only Alabama (9) has had more. Spence is the third defensive linemen to leave Illinois early in as many years. He follows Corey Liuget (2010) and Whitney Mercilus (2011), who both were first-round picks. 

            ``We wish Akeem nothing but the best,'' Illini coach Tim Beckman said. ``He's worked very hard on the field and in the classroom to put himself in this position.''

            Intent on reviving an lllinois football program that went 2-10 in his first season, coach Tim Beckman announced the signing of five junior-college players on Wednesday.

            One of the recruits, 290-pound defensive tackle Abe Cajuste, could come in handy. Junior Akeem Spence is expected to announce he will forego his senior season and enter the NFL draft this week.

            Linebacker Jonathan Brown, who also has a bright pro future, has decided to return for his senior season after struggling through an injury-filled 2012 campaign.

            Cajuste, from Miami, Fla., by way of Victor Valley (Calif.) College, ``gives us a big body on the defensive line,'' Beckman said. ``He will help add depth with the departure of several key seniors from the line.''

            Illinois will lose 7-1/2 starters on defense, including all but one co-starter, Tim Kynard, on the defensive line. It could return nine starters on offense, but is losing its two best linemen, Graham Pocic and Hugh Thornton.

            Beckman is expected to bring in approximately 28 players, including JuCos and high-school signees during this recruiting season.

            Two of the junior-college signees are defensive backs from California: safety Zane Petty, from American River College, and star (hybrid safety/linebacker) Eric Finney, from College of the Canyons.

            Illinois has not gone the junior-college route often since Mike White ran a successful California junior-college pipeline in the '80s. Since then, two of Illinois' most prominent JuCos have been defensive backs--Trulon Henry, who completed his career a year ago, and Kelvin Hayden, who played in Champaign in 2003-04 and is now with the Bears.

            The other two signees are offensive players: wide receiver Martize Barr, from Washington, D.C., by way of New Mexico and Iowa Western C.C.; and lineman Dallas Hinkhouse, also from Iowa Western.

            Beckman opted to postpone a press briefing until next month, when up to five high-school recruits are expected to enroll at Illinois to participate in spring practice. The new coach enthusiastically welcomed the junior-college signees in a statement, though.

            ``The most exciting part is that they fill immediate needs for us,'' Beckman said. ``They all play a different position of need and are spread across all areas of the team. The fact that we were able to go throughout the country and sell Illinois football to these young men and their families shows the work ethic and commitment from our staff.''

         Northern Illinois will play Florida State in the Orange Bowl.

         NIU qualified for an automatic BCS-bowl berth by finishing in the top 16 of the BCS standings. They are the first Mid-American Conference school to receive a BCS berth.

         The Huskies (12-1) will be a big underdog vs. the Seminoles, but should attract national attention as a small school that will have a rare opportunity to play on a big stage. NIU's only loss was to Iowa 18-17 at Soldier Field.

         Also, the Big Ten seven bowl-bound teams now have confirmed their destinations.

         Stanford is confirmed as Wisconsin's Rose Bowl opponent in a battle of legue champions. Georgia will play Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl in a matchup of league championship-game losers. Northwestern will face Mississippi State. 

BIG TEN BOWLS

Rose: Wisconsin vs. Stanford

Capital One: Nebraska vs. Georgia

Outback: Michigan vs. South Carolina

Gator: Northwestern vs. Mississippi State

Buffalo Wild Wings: Michigan State vs. TCU

Meineke Car Care: Minnesota vs. Texas Tech

Heart of Dallas: Purdue vs. Oklahoma State

BCS BOWLS

BCS: Notre Dame vs. Alabama

Rose: Wisconsin vs. Stanford

Fiesta: Kansas State vs. Oregon

Sugar: Florida vs. Louisville

Orange: Northern Illinois vs. Florida State

         CHAMPAIGN--After Illinois' narrow escape vs. Gardner-Webb on Sunday, John Groce wanted to see better toughness when the No. 22 Illini took on Georgia Tech in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

         The Illini showed toughness all right. Despite scuffling offensively for long stretches, they rallied for a 75-62 victory on Wednesday to improve to 8-0.

         ``If you had said, `Would you predict 8-0?' I probably wouldn't have been bold enough to do that,'' Groce said. ``But our guys have been resilient. We've been popped in the mouth two or three times and come back in games and made big plays down the stretch. Hopefully we continue to do that.''

         The leader of this comeback was redshirt junior Joseph Bertrand, who put on an offensive show, including a Nightly Top 10 hang-time drive to the basket that helped Illinois stay unbeaten. The 6-6 sixth man scored 10 straight points, lifting Illinois from a 58-54 deficit with 7:15 left to a 64-58 lead with 5:25 left against the Yellow Jackets (4-2).

         ``[Bertrand] brings energy off the bench,'' Georgia Tech coach Brian Gregory said. ``He's a great athlete--and he's just streaky enough to be dangerous.''

         Bertrand and Brandon Paul finished with 15 points apiece, and Tyler Griffey and D.J. Richardson each had 14 points for Illinois.

         Illinois' victory allowed the Big Ten to salvage a 6-6 tie in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Midwesterners were 4-2 on Tuesday, but surprising losses by No. 13 Michigan State in Miami and by Wisconsin at home to Virginia were costly in their bid for a fourth straight Challenge title.

         The ACC now leads 10-3-1 in the series.

         Leading 36-35 after a see-saw first half, Illinois seemed to take control at the start of the second half. It made its first three shots, including three-balls by Richardson and Griffey, to go ahead 44-37.

         But Georgia Tech took charge and led 58-54 with 7:15 left. That's when Illinois, led by Bertrand, answered with a 21-4 barrage to end the game.

         ``Until you get to know him, Joe can come off like a quiet guy,'' Groce said. ``But Joe has big-time energy. Joe loves to compete. And tonight he competed. He really ignited the 21-4 run.''

NOTES:

         --John Groce's 8-0 start is the second best by a first-year coach at Illinois. Fletcher Lane started 12-0 in 1907-08, his only season as Illini coach.

         --Illinois is 7-1 vs. Georgia Tech, including a 103-92 double overtime victory on Jan. 22, 1989. That  was the only other time Tech has come to Champaign. With that victory, Illinois improved to 17-0 and was ranked No. 1 in the nation the next day.

            If he won't join you, beat him.

            When Butler's Brad Stevens wasn't interested in the Illinois job last spring after VCU's Shaka Smart expressed similar disinterest, athletic director Mike Thomas turned to Ohio coach John Groce.

            That move was greeted with a lot of whining and yawning.

            So what happened? Fate put Groce and Stevens opposite each other in the championship game of the Maui Invitational on Wednesday. All of a sudden, two coaches who have been close friends since they worked together for Thad Matta at Butler in 2000-01 had to try and beat other.

            The Illini prevailed with a 78-61 victory on Wednesday. They never trailed, and they never trailed in in their first two Maui games, when they took down USC 94-64 and Chaminade 84-61.

            Their immediate reward was hoisting the most prestigious early-season trophy in college basketball.

            ``Unbelievable,'' said senior Tyler Griffey,  ``I haven't had this much fun playing basketball in a long time.''

            Their next accolade for their impressive 6-0 start, unless the voters went to bed early this week, should be a top-25 ranking.

            The real prize, though, for getting their act together under Groce after losing 12 of their last 14 games last year might be the promise of continued fun.

            It looks like the new coach is even capable of silencing the yawners.

            ``I need to take a deep breath,'' Groce told ESPN.com. ``You see the names on that trophy and it really puts it into perspective, the quality of this tournament. The thing I was proudest of was our toughness. Whenever you play Butler, you have to be tough.''

            Six games does not make a season. The Illini learned that the hard way last year, when they started 15-3 and finished 17-15.

            But there are a lot of reasons to think Groce and his players won't let that happen.

            ``Very rarely when you have a new coach come in, do the pieces fit [so] well,'' Stevens said. ``It's so perfect the way that John likes to play and the way they spread the floor with four shooters and the way that they can shoot the ball. Anyone who thinks that's a middle-of-the-pack Big Ten team, I would argue with that.''

            Griffey, a 6-9 power forward from suburban St. Louis, is a perfect example of that. After scoring in double figures seven times in his first three years, he's gone for at least 10 points five times in Illinois' first six games, including all three Maui contests.

            And Griffey, who averaged 11.3 ppg in Maui, is the fourth option behind a stellar guard trio--Maui Invitational MVP Brandon Paul (19.7), D.J. Richardson (12.7) and Tracy Abrams (12).

            More important than scoring, the Illini are playing defense aggressively and Groce is substituting freely to keep his players fresh.

            ``Do you envision sitting at 6-0?'' said Groce, who knows the season is just getting under way even though some fans and media may be thinking the Illini already have arrived. ``I'm a little different. I focus on practice every day. We try to get better every day and let the results take care of themselves.

            With No. 1 Indiana, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Michigan, No. 15 Michigan State, Wisconsin and Minnesota all looking strong, it's too still too early to pencil in Illinois to what ought to be a tough Big Ten race.

            But it's not too early to mark them down for a very interesting first season under Groce.

ENDIT

          Sharing the ball when it had it and playing lockdown defense when it didn't, Illinois opened a 57-26 halftime lead and wheeled past USC 94-64 in its Maui Invitational opener on Monday.

          ``The first half was about as good as we defended this season,'' coach John Groce said. ``We were really unselfish in the first half, really shared the ball.  We've got a lot of guys that can score and shoot the ball, so it's hard to key on one guy.  [But] I thought the whole deal was key by our defense.''

            Brandon Paul (26 points) led the way as Illinios (4-0) shot nearly 69 percent in the first half against the Trojans (2-1). D.J. Richardson (13), Tracy Abrams (11) and Tyler Griffey (10) also were in double figures

            Next up for Illinois is Chaminade (9:30 p.m. Tuesday, ESPN2). The Division II tournament host  upset Texas 86-73 in its opener. The Silverswords are 7-76 since the tournament begain in 1984.

            A win in that game would put the Illini in the Maui championship game against Butler or No. 9 North Carolina, the tourney favorite.

            Illinois lost the Maui championship game to Arizona in 2000, its highest finish in the prestigious early-season tournament. The Illini finished third in 1987 and 2007, their other Maui appearances.

The USC start was very different from Illinois' first island game. It  trailed Hawaii 44-28 early in the second half on Friday before surviving 78-77 in overtime on D.J. Richardson's three-pointer at the buzzer.

``We were disappointed we didn't get off to a better start Friday,'' Groce said. ``I thought the start to the [USC] game was critical.  I thought we came out and got off to a great start, had a lot of energy, and really moved the ball.  It was a free‑flowing first half.  I thought the tempo was to our liking.  We got the ball up and down the floor, and guys made plays.''

            Some big noise about the Big Ten came out of the East on Saturday. Multiple sources, including ESPN.com and CBSsports.com, reported that Maryland is in serious discussions regarding joining the conference of Legends and Leaders.

            Rutgers also could join the Big Ten as a 14^th member, ESPN.com said, adding that an announcement could come as early as Monday.

            Efforts to confirm the reports through numerous Big Ten sources were unsuccessful. That in itself might be a clue: With no one willing knock down the expansion news, that could mean there's substance to it.

            It makes sense from the standpoint that the Next Big Thing in college sports--a handful of ``super conferences''--is getting nearer and nearer.

            This looks like a response to Notre Dame's decision to align with the ACC. Adding Maryland and Rutgers would give the Big Ten a serious television profile in the New York and Washington markets.

            And as the Pac-12's recent television machinations show--a reported 12-year, $3 billion TV contract with ESPN and Fox--the sky's the limit for the Big Ten, which has a bigger upside than the West Coast league.

            In a measure of how big the stakes are, Maryland, which recently dropped seven sports because of budget problems, is said to be interested in joining the Big Ten even though it would be required to pay a $50 million exit fee to the ACC.

            Sources told ESPN.com that Maryland president Wallace Loh has been handling the negotiations and Maryland athletic director Kevin Anderson has briefed key staffers on the situation.

         As boggling as it may seem, the addition of Maryland and Rutgers might only be a stepping stone to a 16-school conference. Speculation has grown that the college-sports landscape will evolve into four 16-team super leagues in the future.

         It's possible the future is nearer than people thought.

            With Indiana receiving pre-season national accolades,  it comes as no surprise that the Hoosiers are also a heavy favorite to dominate the Big Ten.

            IU, which is seeking its first Big Ten title since 2002, received 21 of 24 first-place votes in a poll of 24 Big Ten sportswriters, two from each school. Herb Gould and Neil Hayes, who cover the Illini and Northwestern, respectively, for the Sun-Times were among the voters.

            The Illini were picked to finish ninth in the league, just one vote ahead of 10th-place Northwestern.

            Michigan received the three first-place votes that were not cast for Indiana. Ohio State, Michigan State and Wisconsin, rounded out the top five. That quintet also is receiving top-25 pre-season attention in what's expected to be a strong season for Big Ten Basketball.

            Indiana is top-ranked in the inaugural coaches poll, and is joined by No. 4 Ohio State, No. 5 Michigan, No. 14 Michigan State and No. 21 Wisconsin.

            The complete poll:

Team (1st)            Pts

1.  Indiana (21)   285     

2.  Michigan (3)    256

3.  Ohio State      237

4.  Michigan St     223

5.  Wisconsin        191

6.  Minnesota       159

7.  Iowa                134

8.  Purdue             121

9.  Illinois                90

10. Northwestern   89

11. Penn State        62

12. Nebraska           25