THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: It's a matter of shooting, size — and maybe some pixie dust — with Zags

Sometimes, the simplest question can turn into a real puzzler.

For instance, a gentleman named Meryl from Post Falls sent us a puzzler.

“We have a breakfast club, and the chatter is almost all about Gonzaga,” he wrote. “Basically, we’re waiting for the Zags to win a national championship.

“This year should be exciting, since they have a great record (27-2) and they’ve beaten some really good teams. Some of our guys have given up on the Zags with Braden Huff out, but they’ve played terrific defense for the last month, so I haven’t quit.

“Am I just dreaming, or is reaching the Final Four at least a possibility?

Ah, Meryl.

A hardcore Zag.

As I mentioned at the top, this COULD be a simple question.

Unless Huff comes back and provides some double-barrel firepower to complement Graham Ike, the Zags might get overwhelmed.

If Braden makes an exciting return, well …

By every statistic (and won-loss numbers against the toughest part of the schedule), Gonzaga was a scarier outfit during its first 18 games.

In other words, when Huff was available.

OK, THEN, that’s the simple answer.

If they’re missing both of their battleships around the hoop, the Zags are still a team with legitimate national goals, but …

We can quickly reel off a half-dozen or so clubs with too many weapons.

Unless most of these bona fide sluggers get locked up on Guantanamo Bay, Gonzaga seems just a tad short of the truly elite.

Your first worry when handicapping the field is that most of these title wannabes are bigger, stronger and better shooters.

My own jitters?

I’m afraid the Zags can’t splash enough 3-pointers to make up for some deficiencies in size and speed.

That brings us to the next bump in the road.

Unless Gonzaga gets sprinkled with pixie dust — especially at critical moments — the stats suggest that long-distance swishes are going to be coming at the wrong end of the court.

It’s easy to be fooled by team shooting percentages, by the way.

The Zags are connecting on a sleepy 33 percent from behind the arc, which isn’t exactly nuclear for a national contender.

It would be good enough, though, if the shots were spread among the seven or eight guys who see the most court time.

Instead, freshmen Mario Saint-Supery (44.6 percent) and Davis Fogle (39.4) are the only regulars with acceptable numbers from behind the arc.

It’s not a shock to notice that those two shooters both get extra attention when they venture near 3-point land.

Everyone else gets an open invitation to cast away.

(Oh, besides being 6-11 and helping Ike on the boards, Huff is one of the best overall shooters in country at 66 percent.

He’s also wide open … with his crutches on the bench.)

Sigh.

YOU CAN tell that these Zags are an odd team.

No, that sounds bad.

Let’s call them unusual.

They must be annoying to opponents, forcing 15 turnovers per game.

Ironically, Saint-Supery and Fogle — the two frosh shooters — were not starters at the beginning of the year.

A dizzying rotation of Tyon Grant-Foster, Adam Miller, Jalen Warley, Steele Venters, bruising defender Emmanuel Innocenti, and point guard Braedon Smith seems always ready to change the look and keep opponents off balance.

And of course, there is Ike — averaging 19.9 and a finalist for the Wooden Award.

Ike is a loveable puppy off the court, and a growling pit bull inside the lines — as five technical fouls would suggest.

He’s also strong as hell, almost impossible to stop when he gets the ball down low, and a terrific passer when he is (inevitably) double- or triple-teamed near the hoop.

So.

Do we agree the Zags are an unusual bunch?

I’ve got an idea, but let’s wait for the vote from Post Falls.

Email: [email protected]

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."