THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: After that 'big' effort from Zags, Houston should be worried

Remember all that hoopla about how at least a dozen teams from the SEC could slap around anyone and everyone in the NCAA tournament? 

The warning boomed from the South. 

“Get out of the way, y’all.” 

Well, Georgia finished tied for 12th in America’s mightiest conference, and earned a 9-seed in this year’s Midwest Region. 

SEC folk whined that the seeding was too low. 

Um, maybe not. 

Gonzaga hoped to prove two points during this tournament weekend in Wichita, and got No. 1 out of the way by flogging Georgia 89-68 in a game that was over by the first media timeout. 

The Zags embarrassed the glassy-eyed Bulldogs right from the jump, leading 11-0 and then by massive amounts the rest of the way. 

Mark Few’s double pivot — Graham Ike and Braden Huff — repeated their performance against Saint Mary’s with a total of 31 points. 

Khalif Battle, who insists he’s built for March, did a heck of a job proving it with 24 points and a powerhouse eight rebounds. 

And Nolan Hickman, who really CAN shoot from distance when he can set his feet, canned five of six 3-pointers. 

In fact, Zag fans who have wondered how this bunch might do if they ever locked in their long-range shooting got a treat. 

Like. 

Wow! 

THE ZAGS shot 55 percent overall and hit 12 of 20 behind the arc. 

You know the phrase “garbage time”? 

In this blowout, supposedly a good matchup between 8 and 9 seeds, garbage time started with about five minutes to go before halftime. 

Gonzaga led 48-27 at the break, and it’s no exaggeration to say that score flattered Georgia. 

For instance, Georgia had kicked away seven turnovers before the Zags committed their first. 

It was that bad. 

Georgia star freshman Asa Newell, who was recruited REALLY hard by Few and his staff, wound up with 20 points — and you can see the talent bristling from his 6-9 frame. 

But Newell couldn’t really get into any offensive flow while there was any semblance of competition. 

Georgia was overwhelmed from the first whistle by the Zags’ pace, aggressiveness and intensity on the defensive end. 

“Our offense was ALL about the defense,” Battle said in the postgame interview that turned into something like a Zags mosh pit. 

I don’t know what Georgia was used to seeing in the mighty SEC, but it couldn’t have been more in-your-face than what the Zags unleashed from the get-go. 

This rout looked a lot like one of Gonzaga’s routine dances with Pepperdine — if that isn’t too demeaning to the Waves. 

The Zags didn’t bother with their usual casual start, hanging around and waiting to feel some rhythm. 

Nah, this dash opened with a starter’s pistol, and by the time Georgia had even settled down, the Zags were way up the track — leading by 20 with the number still rising. 

This was the team that Few has hoped to see all year, the gang that finally turned up to whip Saint Mary’s in the WCC finale. 

SO, THE question now is whether these hungry Zags can another step. 

A huge one. 

Yes, we all know that the NCAA committee stuck it to Gonzaga with that ridiculous 8-seed. 

The committee’s own rankings — the NET, Bart Torvik — pegged the Zags in or near the nation’s top 10. 

Even if you allow for Gonzaga stumbling in several games they should have won, the Zags belonged on the 5- or 6-line. 

But they’ve got that No. 8 hanging around their necks. 

They don’t like it, they don’t think it’s fair, and they DO believe there’s a way to prove their point. 

Simple. 

Beat Houston. 

The Cougs are flat-out terrific, a legit No. 1 seed in the Midwest and the third seed overall in this entire tournament. 

From what I’ve seen, yeah, I think the Zags can play with Houston. 

However. 

Gonzaga has PLAYED with a bucket of truly good teams this year, took them all to the wire — and lost. 

Some of those losses were flukes, and three were in overtime. 

The truth, though, is that they were defeats, and the Zags have to own them. 

What they CAN do is learn from last five minutes of each loss. 

Good news: They showed that they can flip a result against Saint Mary’s. 

Maybe Few’s endless instruction, and now his lineup change, can pull all that obvious talent from his Zags. 

If so, Saturday could be a battle. 

Houston, you may have a problem.

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.”