It's Miller Time: Brandon Miller Continues to Prove He's One of the Best Players in College Basketball
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Brandon Miller is no longer a secret to the world of college basketball, and Saturday's game against LSU did not cause the word to stop spreading.
The leading scorer in the Southeastern Conference put on yet another clinic against the Tigers, recording 31 points including seven 3-pointers. He also led the Crimson Tide with nine rebounds.
The final score of the game? 106-66 in favor of Alabama. 22 of Miller's points were scored before halftime — the exact same number of points that LSU as a team scored in the first half.
For the Crimson Tide this season, Miller has been nothing short of exactly as advertised — and then some. Heading into Saturday's game, the McDonald's All-American was leading Alabama in points with 18.8 per contest and was 0.1 rebounds per game shy of team-leader Noah Clowney with 8.2.
But sitting between Clowney and Rylan Griffen during the team's postgame press conference, Miller never took any praise for himself.
"I feel like my teammates really pushed me to make shots that I did early," Miller said. "I think without them, I wouldn't be me really. It's these two guys next to me really."
Minutes later, it was a similar response to a question about his NBA future.
"I think my teammates really keep me focused on the mission," Miller said. "Our mission is to win a national championship, so I try not to get too focused on all that other stuff. I can just control what I can control right now [instead of] what I can control in the future."
Against Kentucky last weekend, Miller recorded 19 points and seven rebounds. On Wednesday at Arkansas, he had 14 points and four rebounds. Combined with his 31-point performance, Miller has raised a lot of eyebrows. Not just over the last several weeks, but over the course of the season.
For Alabama basketball, however, these past few games have been just business as usual.
That doesn't mean that the Crimson Tide faithful hasn't appreciated Miller's performances this season. It just means that a double-digit game for Miller has become par for the course — almost expected. And when a team has a player like that, it has an ingredient that can be added to the recipe to cook something special.
The biggest factor for Miller hasn't been his shot-making abilities nor his defensive toughness. Players like that come and go at Power Five institutions on a highly regular basis. For Miller, it's his effort and blue-collar playmaking that make him stand out among the rest.
College basketball superstars shoot well. Superstars make blocks and rebounds. It's what they do, and it's what makes them special. Miller, though has built his career on both on top of his effort. How many players with the prestige of Miller consistently sacrifice their bodies for loose balls? How many come driving down into the paint to rebound a ball from a shot that they missed?
Miller is a breed of superstar that hasn't been seen in Tuscaloosa in quite some time. While others bask in the spotlight and try to make the team's success about them, Miller has never done so.
Saturday's 31-point performance was almost just another run-of-the-mill outing for Miller, with even head coach Nate Oats joking that he' growing used to his player's success.
"I didn't sense anything different to be honest with you, but that's not a bad thing because he's been pretty good all year," Oats said. "When you're locked in, you're locked in."
There are players throughout college basketball's history that have the same intangibles as Miller. There are many that were better players than Miller. But at the end of his college career — which will likely be at the end of this season — Miller could go down as the best player in program history.
There's still a lot of college basketball left to be played, but Miller and the Crimson Tide have done nothing but excel so far. With the win over LSU, Alabama is now 15-2 on the season and a perfect 5-0 to start SEC play.
The scary thing? The Crimson Tide has proven that even on the rare night that Miller isn't shooting well, they can still win.
One thing is certain, though. Regardless of whether it wins or not, for Alabama basketball it's certainly Miller Time.
See Also:
No. 4 Alabama Basketball Decimates LSU by 40 Points
Darius Miles Out for the Season with Ankle Injury
Jahvon Quinerly Adapting to New Role with Alabama Basketball
