THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: The one thing that could sidetrack Zags' amazing season

It’s still there, really.

The question.

When you do an honest assessment of this amazing Gonzaga team, there’s only one true doubt that keeps hanging around.

It’s the only thing — other than sheer bad luck — that might trip up an otherwise historic run through this season of blowouts.

And yep, it HAS been one mugging after another — as proven by an eye-popping stat.

With Thursday night’s 89-75 victory over Santa Clara in the books, the Zags tied Bill Walton’s 1971-72 UCLA team for most consecutive double-digit wins by a No. 1-ranked team.

That number is 20.

Oh, and the number of wins that Gonzaga has notched by single digits in its 23-0 record so far…

One.

That was the 87-82 triumph over West Virginia way back in December, the game in which freshman guard Jalen Suggs got hurt midway through the first half.

When it happened, it seemed like the entire program went into shock.

Until Jalen came back, anyhow.

JUST AS a side note here, West Virginia is ranked 10th in the latest AP poll, and likely will finish just behind undefeated Baylor in the Big 12.

Let’s look back, just for a minute…

The Mountaineers had the services of star big man Oscar Tshiebwe for that game against Gonzaga, and WVU’s big boys roughhoused the Zags around the hoop throughout an unpleasant first half.

It was only later that Tshiebwe, the 6-9, 260-proud bruiser, left the WVU program for what were termed “personal reasons.”

Whatever was going on, Tshiebwe and his mates got pretty damn personal with the Zags.

Center Drew Timme, who has been averaging somewhere just a tick above or below 20 points per game all year, had exactly a deuce at halftime of that slugfest.

A single bucket.

The point is, Gonzaga endured some hard work in surviving that West Virginia test.

Since then, the Zags have exploded, putting 99 points on Iowa in an 11-point win that was more like 25 until garbage time.

Then they handed 98 more to a Virginia gang that wins championships with its defense.

UVA limped out of that matchup with a 98-75 pasting.

Those were absolute blowouts against teams that are still ranked and highly regarded.

No one, however, has gotten after the Zags with sheer size and physical intensity since that battle against West Virginia.

Until Thursday.

THE ZAGS staff saw it coming.

Fans, on the other hand, have just been waiting for their heroes to maul Santa Clara and Loyola Marymount this week to put a bow on their unbeaten regular season.

The Broncos, like West Virginia, had other ideas — and were happy to throw some weight around to prove that they meant it.

Santa Clara raced off to an early 10-point lead, which is same margin that Saint Mary’s managed to open in a game down in Moraga.

But there was a difference, and you could feel it.

Santa Clara has dudes.

In this game, Gonzaga struggled to establish the usual slick offense, as 6-6 leaper Jalen Williams blocked jump shots by Corey Kispert and then Joel Ayayi.

Guglielmo Caruso, a 6-11 dose of Italian menace, was credited with one blocked shot but seemed to tip or redirect more than that.

Gonzaga also had trouble covering clever 6-9 Canadian Josip Vrankic.

Besides keeping the game close at halftime (Gonzaga led just 40-38), the Broncos’ in-your-face offense pinned two quick fouls on Timme and three on Anton Watson — who was supposed to help out, but couldn’t.

SO HERE, finally, was that question again.

Except…

This time it was being played out for real, in a WCC regular-season game, matching the No. 1 team in the nation against a squad that has been wrecked by so much COVID adversity that Thursday marked Santa Clara’s ninth WCC game.

The Broncos have been forced to ball — plus, to actually eat, sleep and do everyday things — outside of the county and a couple hours from campus.

They have a very misleading 4-5 record.

Frankly, if this Santa Clara team had a full season of practice and competition, you honestly could see them in the NCAA tournament.

They are every bit as good as BYU, for instance, and a lot more willing to punch you in the mouth.

Figuratively speaking.

At any rate, we got to see the Zags challenged by kids who played like men, and who sent both Timme and Watson to the bench in foul jeopardy very, very early.

Coach Mark Few has warned anyone who’d listen that some rugged tests could come, yes, even in conference play.

NOW WE understand one more reason why he’s coaching at a Hall of Fame level, and we’re not.

Few tried Omar Ballo for help in the middle — three minutes, a basket, two rebounds, a ball fumbled out of bounds, and an uncomfortable feeling that things go a bit too fast for him at this stage.

Then, surprisingly, Few summoned Ben Gregg — you know, the 6-8 kid from the Portland suburbs who was in high school during the fall semester.

Right…

This last fall.

Gregg looks thin, but he played tough and composed in his four emergency minutes, and showed no fear while scoring with his left hand and snatching a rebound with surprising poise and authority.

It’s too soon to call Gregg a revelation, but there will be more games like this the rest of the way, so…

Maybe the first arrival from the 2021 recruiting class will see more minutes than anyone expected.

Meantime, Santa Clara has put a scouting report on tape for the hoops world to see.

Teams now will attack Timme (and then Watson) relentlessly, and with more gusto.

Stay ready, Ben Gregg.

Your time may come sooner than expected.

Email: [email protected]

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. “Moments, Memories and Madness,” his reminiscences from several decades as a sports journalist, runs each Sunday.

Steve also writes Zags Tracker, a commentary on Gonzaga basketball which is published each Tuesday.