The Gaels, with a healthy Patty Mills, opened the season 18-1. Then Mills went down with a wrist injury in the first half of a game against Gonzaga. With Mills, the Gaels led by six at halftime, and then without Mills, they lost the second half by 13.

They went on to lose three of the next four. With a bit of time, they rebounded and adjusted without him, and went on a five-game win streak while they waited for the wrist to heal. Then Mills returned to the line-up, clearly at less than full strength, and Saint Mary's won unimpressively against Portland, and then lost to Gonzaga in the WCC tournament.

So, to recap: Saint Mary's, with Patty Mills healthy and playing as well as he can, was damn near unstoppable. They opened 18-1, and were beating Gonzaga on the road. With Mills out of the line-up they struggle, and with Mills easing his way back onto the floor, they continue to struggle.

And here's maybe the biggest kicker: Even with the Mills injury struggles, this is a team that won 26 games. Twenty-six wins, and they didn't get in.

Ultimately, the numbers just squeezed them out. Some bubble-unfriendly conference winners (USC, Mississippi State, etc.) really shrunk the bubble, and, as I saw things, only left room for one bubble team. That happened to be Arizona.

And it's true that Saint Mary's didn't play much of a non-conference schedule, and that's a legitimate point for those who argue for their exclusion. But if Patty Mills had been healthy all-season long, I don't think there's any question that this is a tournament team, and when you look at the Gaels right now, Mills is just now rounding back into form.

It's just too bad. I can't say that anyone clearly deserved to be bumped in their favor (and Arizona was my pick for that last bubble spot), but I think it's unfortunate that we don't get to see what they can do in the tournament.

More Selection Sunday coverage from The Dagger: 'Snubbed' bubble teams | Five seeding mistakes | Top 10 Selection Show moments

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Related: Mid-Majors and Below, The Big Dance