THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Don't cry because it's over — smile because nine straight trips to the Sweet 16 happened

This week could have been crazier. 

Besides gearing up for the Mariners to open their 162-game marathon on Thursday, debating the Seahawks’ free agent and potential draft additions, history suggested we’d be looking at Gonzaga’s second-week opponents in the NCAA tournament. 

I mean, the Zags had taken it that far down the road for nine straight tournaments, the longest active streak of Sweet 16 appearances. 

We’ve begun to take it for granted. 

This time, though, the Zags gave the seeding committee an excuse to stab them in the back. 

Those midseason losses to Oregon State and Santa Clara didn’t mean anything to the eye test, or the underlying metrics (every major rating system pegged the Zags inside the top 10). 

But they DID give all those Zag-haters the excuse they’ve waited a decade to seize. 

So. 

Gonzaga was slapped with a No. 8 seed, which guarantees a second-round match with the region’s top dog. 

And thus the Zags are now back home, having hammered Georgia but losing an 81-76 thriller to Houston. 

“Gonzaga was really under-seeded,” said Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson. “They’re one of the best teams in the country. 

“We were seriously nervous when we saw that seeding. It was scary.” 

SAMPSON was correct to have a tiny case of nerves. 

The Zags’ furious second-half rally came up just a bit short when Khalif Battle couldn’t keep a solid handle on the ball as he went up for a potential game-tying shot with just a couple of ticks left on the clock. 

I’ve never understood why so many so-called “fans” around the country somehow resent Gonzaga — as though a tiny private school in Spokane does not have the right to be considered a year-in, year-out basketball powerhouse. 

If teams in the Big Ten or the ACC — oh, yes, in particular the ACC — get whacked in a second-round game by Tennessee or Wisconsin, they just wish the point guard had played better or their power forward had recovered from that sprained ankle. 

It was just bad luck, losing to a big-timer. 

But if Duke or North Carolina gets turned over by Gonzaga to reach the Sweet 16, you’d think the refs were flat-out cheating. 

They HAD to be bought off. 

There’s no way the Zags should have gotten that charging call. 

(Never mind that when Gonzaga wins by 16, it still has to be a bad call or just plain luck that the Zags made so many shots, or whatever.) 

Supporters of so many big-name schools somehow just can’t stomach the notion that the Zags win NCAA tournament games fair and square. 

I promise you that thousands of supposed “neutrals,” fans of other blue-blood hoop schools, just LOVED seeing Houston hang on to win last Saturday. 

They probably had a heart-in-mouth moment when it looked like Khalif Battle would have a chance to tie the game.

Then they turned to their pals, and said: “I can’t believe that shot didn’t bang off the rim and somehow fall in. 

“You know that Gonzaga would have gotten lucky in overtime and won — probably with a bad call.” 

FOR NOW, the Zags must grit their teeth at an opportunity missed. 

There’s work to be done, however. 

Gonzaga enters the new-world Pac-12 in just one more year. 

That corresponds with the beginning of revenue sharing in college sports (basically, football and men’s basketball). 

The Zags will have more cash available than just what comes from collectives from off campus. 

What has been excellent recruiting could become fantastic recruiting — although nothing is ever a given, which the Gonzaga coaches and administration know so well. 

No one grasps how the various conferences and media alliances will work out, except we can be positive that there will be more and more dramatic changes. 

All those fans of the power schools can keep on muttering curses directed just across the state line. 

Gonzaga won’t be going anywhere. 

Except maybe to a Final Four. 

Meanwhile, we all have some extra time our hands for the next week or two. 

Extra hours to watch the Mariners fighting for a good start, and arguing about the Seahawks’ possible draft pick at No. 18. 

For Zags fans, it’s serious bad luck if you bought tickets and flights for the next round of the NCAA. 

Ah, but isn’t it poor form to pout over missing the Sweet 16 once every 10 years?  

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.”