THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: The difference between the hoop from deep and the NET for the Zags

If they could only shoot straight. 

But they haven’t, and the price could be pretty darn steep. 

The Zags will learn their seeding in the NCAA tournament this weekend, and it won’t be anywhere close to this team’s talent. 

Bracket guru Joe Lunardi pegged Gonzaga as a No. 8 seed the last time he emerged from his cave, the dungeon where he pores over critical last-second free throws and the difference between home games and neutral sites. 

Etc. 

Meanwhile, the Zags have to hope that the tournament committee will pay more attention to the NET rankings, supposedly a key component in how teams are placed for the Big Dance. 

The NET numbers are produced by some magic formula which is churned out by the NCAA itself, so you’d think it would be pretty close to gospel truth when the committee begins debating seeds. 

Gonzaga is tagged at No. 8 overall in the NET, which is a heck of a lot different than an eighth seed (presumably a ranking somewhere between Nos. 29 through 33 across the entire field). 

The difference between landing in a bracket with the strength of eighth in the nation and, oh, No. 30, is as massive as the width of the Grand Canyon. 

SO, WHY are the Zags afraid that they might get slapped with disrespect by the tournament committee? 

It’s their own fault. 

Gonzaga lugs a 25-8 record into the NCAA party, and there’s simply no way they should have to explain those EIGHT losses. 

The defeats all came by six points or less, or in overtime. 

As ridiculous as it sounds, the Zags only played eight close games all season — and lost every one of them. 

Why? 

It’s pretty simple. 

They can’t shoot when they REALLY need a basket. 

Let’s start with the most misleading statistic of the 2024-25 season. 

Gonzaga finished the regular season and WCC tournament with a total 34.4 percentage on shots beyond the 3-point line. 

Not sizzling hot, exactly. 

But not awful, either. 

The problem is that a whole lot of those successful shots from downtown came when the Zags were way ahead and playing relaxed. 

When games were tight? 

Ugh. 

Consider the three brawls with Saint Mary’s (two of which Gonzaga lost, thus conceding the WCC regular-season title). 

In those three games, the Zags were a stunning 8 of 46 behind the arc. 

Just in case doing the math might you ill, that shooting barrage (which would be embarrassing at a county fair) works out to 17.4 percent. 

Yikes. 

Amazingly, the Zags WON the conference title game despite going 1 of 15 from deep. 

It helped that Saint Mary’s was worse, missing all 16 tries. 

GONZAGA got away with that game for the WCC tournament championship. 

We’ll call it a historic rock fight in which the two teams combined for one 3-pointer in 31 tries. 

Someday, Braden Huff will be the answer to a trivia question about who actually banged in a shot from deep that night. 

Predictably, Huff missed his other three attempts from that range. 

So, that explains Saint Mary’s. 

What about those other six losses? 

Take a painkiller, and we’ll rumble through them. 

West Virginia, the Zags blew a five-point lead with 18 seconds left and then lost in overtime — and ultimately went down 86-78, going 1 for 7 on 3-point tries in the second half and OT. 

Kentucky, they blew a 20-point lead and lost in 90-89 in overtime, mostly because of a zero-for-nine 3-point nightmare in the second half. 

UConn, the Zags lost 77-71 after going 6 for 16 behind the stripe — which wasn’t so bad, but it was 2 for 10 in the second half. 

UCLA, more of the same in a 65-62 heartbreaker. The Zags were 7 of 24 on treys, but worse, they stood around and let the Bruins hit 12 of 24. 

Ouch. 

Then came the back-to-back catastrophes, a 97-89 loss in overtime at Oregon State (zip-for-four in OT) and 103-99 at home against Santa Clara. 

The Zags were 10 for 28 on 3-pointers that night — mostly because Nolan Hickman was 6 of 10 — but they let the Broncos go crazy with a deep barrage (18 for 38). 

That was the game that caused Mark Few to blow a gasket about defense (or lack of it). 

Playing harder and better since then, the Zags have gone 11-2, losing only to Saint Mary’s. 

Those two defeats have been avenged. 

They look like a hell of a team. 

Now, they have to wait on the seeding committee. 

And maybe promise that they’ll shoot better. 

Sigh. 

Email: scameron@cdapress.com 

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press three times each week, normally Tuesday, Wednesday and 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.”