The Illinois Fighting Illini (10-0) continued their winning ways through the first two weeks of December and have begun to reap the rewards. In the AP Preseason Poll, the Illini were tied at No. 44 with a grand total of two points. Now, after another week of impressive wins -- including handing the Gonzaga Bulldogs their first loss of the season -- Illinois finds itself ranked No. 19 in the AP Poll (with 375 points now) and also No. 19 in the Coaches Poll.
Last week's iteration of the Coaches poll had the Illini tied at No. 22 while the AP Poll had Illinois at No. 24. Also making a name for Big Ten basketball: The Ohio St. Buckeyes (8-1) held their ground at No. 2 despite losing 67-78 to the Kansas Jayhawks last Saturday. The Indiana Hoosiers (9-0) also jumped into the Top 25 in both polls (18 in the AP Poll and 20 in the Coaches), leapfrogging Michigan St. in both.
Here is the Top 10 in both polls as of December 12:
| Rank | Coaches Poll | AP Poll |
| 1 | Syracuse | Syracuse |
| 2 | Ohio St. | Ohio St. |
| 3 | Kentucky | Kentucky |
| 4 | Louisville | Louisville |
| 5 | Duke | North Carolina |
| 6 | North Carolina | Baylor |
| 7 | Baylor | Duke |
| 8 | Missouri | Xavier |
| 9 | Xavier | Connecticut |
| 10 | Connecticut | Missouri |
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