AMES- It’s a sight not a lot of people expected to see. Iowa State men’s basketball is back in the AP top-25 for the first time since Feb. 18, 2019.

After a 2-22 season and a new coach at the reigns, T.J. Otzelberger and his team have found themselves in the AP Top 25, checking in at No. 19 in Monday’s latest rankings.

It comes after a trip to Brooklyn that featured wins over then-No.25 Xavier and then-ninth ranked Memphis in the NIT Season Tip-Off. Both games featured stellar efforts on defense, and a star shining through in each game.

A 30-piece each from Izaiah Brockington (against Xavier) and Gabe Kalscheur (against Memphis) led the Cyclones to two top-25 victories, and a 6-0 start.

The start is the Cyclones’ best since the 2015-16 season, when they started 10-0.

Iowa State defeated top-25 opponents in two-straight games for the first time since March 2019 when the Cyclones beat No. 15 Kansas State and No. 17 Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament.

Next up for Iowa State is a matchup in Ames against Arkansas Pine-Bluff on Dec. 1, followed by a trip to Creighton on Dec. 4.