Seriously, why not Gonzaga?

It was another crazy day in a season full of them. College basketball has gone all Jack Nicholson in “The Shining” on us.

This happened on Saturday alone: Texas Christian beat Oklahoma. Baylor blew out Kansas. Utah defeated Oregon. Oregon State won at Colorado.

Fresno State and its oh-so-ridiculous RPI of 154 beat UNLV for the second time this season, after which Rebels coach Dave Rice and a few seniors said they had seen signs of such a letdown as early as Thursday.

Which begs the question: Why wasn’t something done about it then?

Or Friday?

Or during a shootaround Saturday?

There would be no such shenanigans at Orleans Arena, no such letdown, no such inexcusable losses followed by excuses of immaturity more than 30 games into a season.

Not by the nation’s No. 1 team. Not by a Gonzaga side capable of breathing come Final Four weekend.

The Zags ended a mini-Cinderella run by Loyola Marymount in a West Coast Conference tournament semifinal, defending tired legs into elimination by a 66-48 final before 7,896 fans.

It was Loyola Marymount’s fourth game in as many days and coach Max Good’s team held up for 20 minutes, trailing by just a point at halftime before Gonzaga’s talent finally wore out the Lions.

“We played with a lot more energy in the second half,” Gonzaga guard Kevin Pangos said. “No excuses. We can’t come out flat like we did again.”

You figure that won’t be an issue Monday, when Gonzaga not only plays for another conference tournament title — it has more of them than coach Mark Few has caught fish in waters across the Pacific Northwest —but to also make a final argument for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Perhaps, even, the No. 1 overall seed.

And why not?

The Zags, who will face second-seeded Saint Mary’s — a 69-66 overtime winner over San Diego late Saturday — for the WCC title, are 30-2 and have won 13 straight and, please, stop with the check-the-strength-of-schedule arguments.

They have never won 30 in a season before now, never been ranked No. 1 prior to claiming the spot last week. They’re deserving of all accolades being thrown their way right now.

“It’s a probably a tie in terms of (significance) with the (30 wins and top ranking),” Few said. “These are things we had not yet accomplished in the past with some great teams and great players. To crack the code and get to the top of the polls  ... it got a bigger reaction than I thought it would.

“To me, both accomplishments are the culmination of an entire year’s worth of games. They’re pretty significant milestones.”

There can be more. It’s possible.

There isn’t a team nationally without flaws, not an elite side anywhere to be seen. There is no Kentucky of last season, no North Carolina when Kendall Marshall had a healthy wrist.

Twenty or so teams could make the Final Four this year. You could find 10 that have what it takes to win it all, which is to say nothing overly spectacular but good enough to make a deep run.

The only thing eye tests get you this season is a massive migraine.

Gonzaga has been good before, but I’m not sure this good. The Zags reached a Sweet 16 in 2009 and lost to a North Carolina team that beat the snot out of everyone and won the NCAA championship game by 17. Three years earlier, Gonzaga lost to a No. 2 seed in UCLA by two in the Sweet 16. It was good when losing to Syracuse in the Round of 32 in Buffalo three years ago, good when falling to Ohio State in the same round last season.

But this is as close to complete as you get in terms of offensive efficiency and defending with a purpose. Gonzaga could be the one cutting down nets in Atlanta. It could also lose in the first week of NCAA play.

It has every chance to be truly great, and yet is smart and humble enough to realize how tenuous things can be for any favorite this year.

“No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, No, 4, it’s all just a number,” Pangos said. “It’s an honor to be (ranked No. 1), but we didn’t think of it as any sort of pressure. We had fun with it.”

I know this: They had a lot more fun than UNLV on Saturday.

Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ed Graney can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be heard from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday on “Gridlock,” ESPN 1100 and 98.9 FM. Follow him on Twitter: @edgraney.