THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Zags' margin for error getting slimmer by the week

So, this is how the other half lives.

Nervous about the next road game.

Hoping you won’t hit a cold streak.

And most of all, wondering what you’ll need to have an at-large shot at the NCAA tournament.

Welcome to the real world, Zags.

Since the 2016-17 season, which began with Gonzaga ranked No. 14 in the AP poll (and finished with that heartbreaking loss to North Carolina in the national title game), the notion of actually MISSING the Big Dance hasn’t even been discussed.

The Zags are a factor in March Madness.

Locked in.

Mark Few has taken his team to the tournament all 25 seasons that he’s been the coach.

Gonzaga fans don’t sit around in mid-January, looking ahead to the WCC schedule, and think: “I wonder if we can make the NCAA tournament this year?”

Nope.

Not until now.

Barring an amazing dash that would include a road win at Kentucky, running the table in conference play, and even some help from opponents beefing up their NET rankings, the Zags have just one path to this year’s NCAA tournament.

They have to win the WCC tournament.

IF YOU happen to be one of those super-serious Zag junkies who can’t even imagine March without a run in the NCAA, I’m sorry.

I get it.

Gonzaga lost an amazing streak on Monday, falling out of the AP poll for the first time in 143 weeks — but an even more remarkable accomplishment is sitting out there at risk.

The Zags have reached the Sweet Sixteen or beyond in eight consecutive tournaments — more than any team in the country.

Not so long ago, it seemed we’d soon be looking at No. 9 in that streak, since there are first- and second-round NCAA sessions scheduled for the Arena in Spokane.

After a few losses (especially that mess at Washington), folks started worrying that the Zags wouldn’t be seeded high enough to begin tournament play right across town.

Now?

How about sweating that Gonzaga will appear in the bracket at all?

In an interview with national reporter Seth Davis this week, Few leaned on the effort it’s taken to keep his little university in the AP poll so long — and to know that the program pops up on SportsCenter as a matter of routine.

“It’s absolutely incredible that we’ve been able to stay nationally relevant for all this time,” Few told Davis. “Everybody assumes it magically happens. 

“It doesn’t. You can’t take it for granted, man. 

“It’s really hard.”

OK, coach, what’s making the struggle so hard THIS year?

“A lot of games against really tough teams (Purdue, UConn, San Diego State) have been close,” Few said.

“We just have to play better.”

ACTUALLY, the problem isn’t how they’re playing.

It’s simpler than that.

They can’t shoot.

Don’t be fooled by the season stat sheet, either, although an overall success rate of 31 percent from 3-point range is pretty close to embarrassing.

The trick with THAT number is that the Zags have relaxed and tossed in a bunch of 3-balls while hammering overmatched teams in the Kennel.

But when they need some shots to make a run against good teams?

Ugh.

The Zags were still in the AP poll (No. 23) last Thursday when they visited Santa Clara.

The Broncos aren’t great, but neither are they terrible — they play hard on the boards and make you work to score.

That’s the kind of situation that requires hitting your share of 3-pointers, but the Zags went 2-for-20 and wound up losing 77-76.

“I don’t understand it, because these guys are good enough,” Gonzaga legend Adam Morrison said on his podcast, The Perimeter.

“Do they lose confidence in big spots? (Point guard) Ryan Nembhard is shooting 24 percent from 3, and when your guard isn’t hitting those open shots, a defender can go underneath screens.

“That takes away so much of the offense Gonzaga runs. You can’t beat decent teams without having an outside threat.

“We’ve gotten so used to those 10-point runs, where there’s a couple of quick 3s and then a fast break, and the whole game changes.

“Now, we’re getting those same chances but clanking the shots.

“It’s painful to watch.”

Yep, it is.

Here’s the thing: None of the Zags started the year with bad numbers from distance.

Nembhard hit 35 percent last season at Creighton.

Now.

Ryan and his pals have to find the range, and soon.

The season hinges on it.

Email: scameron@cdapress.com

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press four times each week, normally Tuesday through Friday unless, you know, stuff happens.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”