Alabama Basketball: Brandon Miller is even better than we thought

Alabama basketball, now 15-2 and 5-0 in the SEC, is enjoying a much better season than even the most optimistic fan could have foreseen. So is its best player, freshman wing Brandon Miller.

Miller entered the season with plenty of hype based off of recruiting rankings and high school performances. There was a lot of buzz surrounding his name in the offseason after he dominated several exhibition games.

Still, Brandon Miller has managed to exceed all expectations thus far. After his spectacular performance against LSU on Saturday afternoon, it’s time to start talking about him in a different light.

Miller shot 11-16 from the field and 7-11 from the three-point line against the Tigers, tallying 31 points and nine rebounds. The freshman has been so incredible this season that the 31-point outing was not even his career-high (36 against Gonzaga), and his seven made three-pointers only tied his career-best (7-9 against Jacksonville State).

It has been apparent since the season tipped off that Miller was on the short list of the nation’s top freshmen. At this point in the year, it’s fair to consider the possibility that he could be the best player in college basketball, regardless of class. The more games Alabama basketball plays, the more impressive he becomes.

Alabama Basketball: Brandon Miller and NPOY conversation

According to CBS Sports’ David Cobb, Miller joins four upperclassmen as the leaders in the National Player of the Year race. Purdue’s Zach Edey, Arizona’s Azuolas Tubelis, and Gonzaga’s Drew Timme are all post players who are well-established in the college basketball landscape. So is Kansas wing Jalen Wilson, one of just two returning starters from the Jayhawks’ 2022 national championship squad.

It is remarkable that Miller stacks up so well against this group. Statistically, he is their equivalent, averaging 19.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game while shooting 46.3 percent from the three-point line. His ability to get hot from the outside could be a separating factor. Miller has already hit four or more threes in eight different games, and made six or more three times. He can quickly take over a game in a way that makes him unique from Edey, Tubelis, Timme, and Wilson.

Brandon Miller and Drew Timme already put on a masterclass in Gonzaga’s 100-90 win over Alabama, combining for 65 points. Ideally, we will get to see some more of these matchups between elite individual players come March.

Brandon Miller currently leads the SEC in scoring, three-point percentage, and three-pointers made (56). He is also third in the league in rebounding. He is the best player in one of college basketball’s best conferences, and he is gradually separating himself from the pack as the SEC schedule unfolds.

It’s only mid-January, but it’s perfectly reasonable to start talking about freshman sensation Brandon Miller as a potential National Player of the Year.