Four years after a season that saw it win 10 games, the Iowa men’s basketball team is officially a top-10 team in the country, according to the Associated Press’ weekly poll released Monday.

Now, the rankings are just a snapshot of how teams have fared thus far. The players know their place on the list means next to nothing.

But given the way Iowa has performed in 2013-14, and because the program hasn’t been ranked in the top 10 since 2002, Fran McCaffery’s players should be extremely proud of the accomplishment and feel good about their chances.

“I’ve felt that we were a top-10 team since the summer,” sophomore guard Mike Gesell said following his team’s 21-point victory over Minnesota on Sunday. “Our goal is just to get better every day.

“We’re not concerned about the rankings or anything like that. The goal is to win championships, because we’re so competitive. And so, we’re going after this Big Ten championship. If you win the Big Ten, you’re in the [NCAA] Tournament. We won’t have to worry about what we went through last year, being on the bubble and things like that.”

Iowa will take on No. 21 Michigan in Ann Arbor on Wednesday evening. In addition to Michigan and Iowa, three other Big Ten teams appear in the rankings: Michigan State (3), Wisconsin (9), and Ohio State (17).

— by Ryan Probasco