How inconceivable is it that now, a mere three seasons after a six-win debacle of a season, the top-ranked team in the country calls Tucker Coliseum home? However out of this world it may seem, the improbable dream has become a reality.

The Wonder Boys are the number one team in the country.

Following an 82-71 victory over rival Harding, the green and gold contingent in Rhodes Field House erupted into a unison chant of “one in the nation” as word of topranked Augusta State’s demise spread through the stands.

Few if any could have seen it coming. While Tech enjoyed a modicum of success last season that culminated in its first GSC tournament crown, the Wonder Boys were tasked with replacing all-conference performers Thiago Cordeiro and Chad Henderson as well as filling the gap left by the unexpected loss of Dusan Radivojevic. Their lack of an “aircraft carrier,” the prototypical big man, was also a cause for concern as the season approached.

Those worries seem almost foolish now. A remarkable amount of depth and athleticism has produced a so-far unstoppable attack for the Wonder Boys (16-0, 3-0). Only one game this season has been decided by single digits, a 68-63 decision over number 11 Drury on Dec. 8.

Since then the Wonder Boys have compiled an impressive road resume that includes victories over GSC foes North Alabama, Alabama- Huntsville, and most recently Harding, a triumph that avenged last year’s 94-67 rout at the hands of the rival Bisons.

The meteoric rise has no doubt been sweetest for the remnants of the hapless 06-07 team. Coach Mark Downey’s first season at the helm was, per usual, an exercise in patience. Two players from that initial freshman class, Brandon Friedel and Irvin Humphrey, have gained virtual celebrity status for their on-court effort as of late, Friedel for his long-distance sharpshooting and Humphrey for his electrifying dunks.

Other players’ contributions have been equally enormous in the program’s ascension. Laithe Massey has developed into a floor leader at the point guard position, while last year’s GSC tournament MVP Renard Allen has grown into his role as the “Red Auerbachian” star sixth man.

Newcomers Jeremy Dunbar and James Causey have helped spark this season’s success, as the Wonder Boys began the season unranked and picked third in the Gulf South Conference, but at midseason have climbed all the way to the top spot of the Division II ranks.

The top ranked Wonder Boys return to action tonight, traveling to Arkadelphia to take on the Tigers of Ouachita Baptist (4-12, 0-3). Tech returns to Tucker Coliseum on Saturday in a pivotal match-up against Delta State. The Statesmen (12-3, 3-0) were the preseason favorites in the GSC west division.