Well, they're back.

After nearly 11 years of being out of the national college basketball rankings, Seton Hall is back in the Top 25. The Pirates cracked the Associated Press poll Monday afternoon, debuting at No. 24.

The Pirates were not ranked in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, which was released earlier in the day. In the coaches poll, Seton Hall was the third team out of the Top 25, receiving 36 votes. Only Wisconsin (43) and Saint Mary's (39) had more than the Pirates.

Seton Hall's last poll appearance of any kind, came on Jan. 30, 2001 — when the Pirates were ranked No. 22. That year the team started off ranked No. 10 in the country and began 10-3. But after a fight in the locker room between players Ty Shine and freshman sensation, Eddie Griffin, the Pirates took a nosedive. Seton Hall would lose seven of its next eight games and finish the year at 16-15.

The appearance in the Associated Press poll is the 96th all-time ranking for Seton Hall, putting the school one behind Saint Louis for 67th all-time.

Seton Hall began the season picked to finish No. 13 in the Big East, by a vote of the league's coaches.

So far, the Pirates have vastly exceeded expectations. Seton Hall has compiled a 14-2 record and a 3-1 mark in the Big East Conference. It's only two losses this season have come to Northwestern (11-4, 1-2) by seven in the finals of the Charleston Classic. The Wildcats are currently two games back in the standings of the Big Ten Conference. The only other loss, was a 75-49 drubbing to No. 1 Syracuse at the Carrier Dome to open Big East play.

But after losing to the Orange, Seton Hall rebounded in a big way, beating West Virginia by 19. The Pirates followed that up with a convincing 12-point win over previously No. 8-ranked Connecticut last week.

In the Pirates first win over the Huskies in 11 years, they lead by as many as 20 at one point late in the second half, dominating the defending champions. Seton Hall then went on the road on Saturday, defeating Providence 66-57.

The Pirates return home Tuesday night to host DePaul (10-5, 1-2 in Big East) at 7 p.m.

Brendan Prunty: bprunty@starledger.com; twitter.com/BrendanPrunty