DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — For years, Iowa State headed to the Big 12 tournament dogged by a foreboding sense of inevitability.

This time, it feels like the Cyclones have a real shot in Kansas City.

The 25th-ranked Cyclones haven't won a conference tournament game since 2005. But Iowa State has accomplished a lot of things recently that it hasn't in years, including the program's first Top 25 ranking since November 2005.

The Cyclones (22-9, 12-6 Big 12) head to Kansas City as the third seed — their best since being No. 1 in 2001 — and with much larger goals than simply snapping their six-game tournament losing skid.

Iowa State opens Thursday night against Texas (19-12, 9-9), with which it split the regular-season series.

"I like the way we're playing," coach Fred Hoiberg said. "We're playing with a lot of confidence right now. We're competing on a nightly basis."

Iowa State might even have a unique advantage in this week's three games in three days setup.

The Cyclones figure to be a tough out in Kansas City for the same reasons as top seeds Kansas and Missouri and even Baylor and Kansas State. They've been one of the Big 12's best teams since January and have already beaten everyone but the Tigers, whom they took to the wire twice and could face again on Friday night.

The Cyclones are arguably as deep as any of the other tourney favorites, are loaded in the backcourt — often a key component of postseason success — and have one of the nation's toughest post matchups in forward Royce White.

Iowa State has nine players averaging at least 10 minutes a game, including a stable of guards that each offers unique challenges.

Senior Scott Christopherson, the school's career leader in 3-point percentage, is averaging 21.8 points over his last five games, in part because he's attacking the rim more often than usual. Fellow senior Chris Allen has as much postseason experience as perhaps any player in the country, having made a pair of Final Four trips with Michigan State, and Chris Babb has made a name for himself as a defensive stalwart.

Junior Tyrus McGee has embraced his role as a sparkplug off the bench — but White's the one opposing coaches have the most trouble figuring out.

White, a first-team All-Big 12 pick, leads the Cyclones in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. At 6-foot-8 and 270 pounds, White can play point guard, pass as well as anyone else the Cyclones have or bulldoze his way to the rim.

White's terrible at the free-throw line, shooting just 48 percent. But that's about all he's struggled with in his first season with the Cyclones.

"He's a very unique player. There's not many people like him around the country, and I do think it makes it difficult to prepare for us when you have somebody like that that can do so many things," Hoiberg said. "He just poses a lot of problems with the way he plays."

Iowa State's biggest question mark entering this season was whether a team made up largely of Division I transfers could gel quickly enough.

It took a while, but the Cyclones have discovered how to win together.

Iowa State finished the regular season with 10 wins in their last 14 games, including a victory over then-No. 9 Baylor, 80-72, on Saturday night. The Cyclones got down by as much as nine early to the Bears, but they rallied behind a strong defensive effort and a surging offense that racked up 50 points in the final 20 minutes.

The Cyclones aren't the favorites in Kansas City, especially with the top-seeded Jayhawks playing so close to home. But after being an afterthought at best for years, Iowa State is a team to watch out for in the Big 12 tournament.

"Our guys, I think they have great chemistry. I think they play well together and I think they like playing with each other," Hoiberg said.