I realize some thought Iowa State was an overachiever last season as opposed to legitimately one of the sport's best teams -- but it's getting harder and harder to hold on to that opinion. After the Cyclones went 10-1 in the non-league portion of their schedule, they opened Big 12 play Monday night with a 79-69 victory at Colorado to improve to 11-1 and extend their winning streak to eight games.
At some point, you have to believe what you're watching.
And what you're watching -- what we're all watching -- is a program that went 29-8 last season, received a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the Sweet 16. Then, the top four scorers from that team decided to return. Now the Cyclones are 11-1 with three Quadrant 1 victories and sitting at No. 3 in Tuesday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings.
ISU's only loss?
That's an 83-81 neutral-court defeat to Auburn in the opening round of the Maui Invitational. Put another way: Iowa State's only loss is a two-point loss to an Auburn team that's No. 1 in most computers and No. 2 in the Top 25 And 1 behind only No. 1 Tennessee.
And how about TJ Otzelberger?
I noted in an offseason episode of the Eye On College Basketball Podcast how, crazy as it sounds, Otzelberger is already kinda on pace to maybe go down in history as the best coach in Iowa State history. In three years, Otzelberger has made three NCAA Tournaments and advanced to the Sweet 16 twice. If that doesn't sound like much, I get it. But what that does mean is that Otzelberger has already taken the Cyclones to more Sweet 16s than any other coach in program history, the great Johnny Orr included.
Now, quite clearly, Otzelberger has another team that's good enough to get there again -- and, this time, go even further.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Chaz Lanier finished with 23 points and four rebounds in Monday's 82-64 win over Middle Tennessee. The Vols' next game is Tuesday against Norfolk State. | -- | 12-0 |
| 2 |  | Johni Broome finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds in Monday's 87-58 win over Monmouth. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against Missouri. | -- | 12-1 |
| 3 |  | Curtis Jones finished with 20 points and three rebounds in Monday's 79-69 win at Colorado. The Cyclones' next game is Saturday against Baylor. | -- | 11-1 |
| 4 |  | Kon Knueppel finished with 18 points and five assists in Saturday's 82-56 win at Georgia Tech. The Blue Devils' next game is Tuesday against Virginia Tech. | -- | 10-2 |
| 5 |  | Labaron Philon finished with 21 points and six assists in Sunday's 105-82 win over South Dakota State. The Crimson Tide's next game is Saturday against Oklahoma. | -- | 11-2 |
| 6 |  | Zeke Mayo finished with 25 points and eight rebounds in Sunday's 87-53 win over Brown. The Jayhawks' next game is Tuesday against West Virginia. | -- | 9-2 |
| 7 |  | Alijah Martin finished with 18 points and four steals in Sunday's 85-45 win over Stetson. The Gators' next game is Saturday at Kentucky. | -- | 13-0 |
| 8 |  | Kam Jones finished with 20 points and eight assists in Saturday's 73-70 win at Xavier. The Golden Eagles' next game is Tuesday at Providence. | -- | 11-2 |
| 9 |  | Jaxson Robinson was 3-of-11 from the field in Saturday's 85-65 loss to Ohio State. The Wildcats' next game is Tuesday against Brown. | -- | 10-2 |
| 10 |  | Jaden Akins finished with 18 points and two rebounds in Monday's 80-62 win over Western Michigan. The Spartans' next game is Friday at Ohio State. | -- | 11-2 |
| 11 |  | Eric Dailey finished with 18 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 65-62 win over Gonzaga. The Bruins' next game is Saturday at Nebraska. | -- | 11-2 |
| 12 |  | Kwame Evans Jr. finished with 13 points and three rebounds in Saturday's 76-61 win over Stanford. The Ducks' next game is Sunday against Weber State. | -- | 12-1 |
| 13 |  | Josh Hubbard finished with 16 points and two assists in Monday's 87-73 win over Bethune-Cookman. The Bulldogs' next game is Saturday against South Carolina. | -- | 12-1 |
| 14 |  | Wade Taylor IV finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's 92-54 win over Abilene Christian. The Aggies' next game is Saturday against Texas. | -- | 11-2 |
| 15 |  | Julian Reese finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 81-66 win over Maryland Eastern Shore. The Terrapins' next game is Thursday at Washington. | -- | 11-2 |
| 16 |  | Braden Smith finished with 34 points and 12 assists in Sunday's 83-64 win over Toledo. The Boilermakers' next game is Thursday at Minnesota. | -- | 9-4 |
| 17 |  | Tomislav Ivisic finished with 23 points and five assists in Sunday's 117-64 win over Chicago State. The Illini's next game is Thursday at Oregon. | -- | 9-3 |
| 18 |  | Colby Rogers finished with 28 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 87-70 win over Ole Miss. The Tigers' next game is Thursday at Florida Atlantic. | -- | 10-3 |
| 19 |  | Alex Karaban finished with 21 points and six rebonds in Saturday's 78-74 win at Butler. The Huskies' next game is Jan. 1 at DePaul. | -- | 10-3 |
| 20 |  | Dre Davis was 1-of-5 from the field in Saturday's 87-70 loss at Memphis. The Rebels' next game is Saturday against Georgia. | -- | 11-2 |
| 21 |  | Khalif Battle finished with 21 points and three rebounds in Monday's 89-82 win at Pepperdine. The Zags' next game is Thursday against Portland. | -- | 10-4 |
| 22 |  | J'Wan Roberts finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds in Monday's 60-47 win at Oklahoma State. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against BYU. | -- | 9-3 |
| 23 |  | Jalon Moore finished with 22 points and six rebounds in Sunday's 89-67 win over Prairie View. The Sooners' next game is Saturday at Alabama. | -- | 13-0 |
| 24 |  | RJ Godfrey finished with 14 points and six rebounds in Sunday's 79-72 win over South Carolina State. The Bulldogs' next game is Saturday at Ole Miss. | -- | 12-1 |
| 25 |  | Norchad Omier finished with 19 points and 24 rebounds in Friday's 107-53 win over Arlington Baptist. The Bears' next game is Tuesday against Utah. | -- | 8-3 |
| 26 |  | RJ Davis finished with 23 point and four rebound in Sunday's 97-81 win over Campbell. The Tar Heels' next game is Wednesday at Louisville. | -- | 8-5 |
