Passed over by the NCAA selection committee, Saint Mary's didn't even manage a top seed in the NIT, as reported by ESPN on Sunday.

The Gaels and guard Patrick Mills fell to the second line Sunday for the 32-team tournament, placed in the same bracket with San Diego State.

Joining the Aztecs as top seeds were Auburn, Creighton and Florida, which earned the distinction of becoming the first team to follow consecutive national titles with back-to-back NIT berths.

Other teams that landed in the NIT included Davidson and Stephen Curry, who became such NCAA tournament darlings last March, and Kentucky, which had made 17 straight NCAA fields.