Alabama basketball fans are believing again. 

A lot of that faith has to do with the arrival of freshman superstar Brandon Miller. The 6-foot-9, 200-pound guard was the No. 14 overall prospect in the class of 2022 — and wow, is he special. 

The 18th-ranked Crimson Tide (4-0) nearly set a program-record for 3-pointers made in a game, finishing just two shy of the mark with 21. Alabama went over the century mark as a team in its 104-62 win over Jacksonville State University. 

“It’s nice to make shots,” head coach Nate Oats said. 

“We told [the team] the shots would start dropping. … I’ve been telling a lot of guys that we’re going to be a much better shooting team this year — don’t know if anyone believed me until tonight. We’ve been seeing it all summer, all fall,” Oats said. 

The Gamecocks (1-2) had no answer for Miller, who scored 28 points in just 25 minutes played. The Antioch, Tennessee, native shot 9-for-12 from the field and 7-for-9 from deep range. He added eight rebounds and three assists — and didn’t turn the ball over once. 

“It’s definitely fun — just playing with my teammates and getting a win,” Miller said. 

“If he makes his free throws, he’s at 30 [points] on 12 shots, which would be one of the more efficient games in the history of me coaching,” Oats said. 

“[Miller is] special,” he said. “He’s got some size to shoot over guys, but he can handle the ball too. If you crowd him, he’s just going to go by you.” 

For many, it’s not a surprise. Miller averaged 26.3 points and 7.9 rebounds per game in his senior season at Cane Ridge High School. 

He sure is making Nashville proud. 

With the help of Miller, the Crimson Tide is beginning to look like one of the nation’s premier teams in November — and Alabama fans are starting to see resemblances of the Sweet 16 team from 2020-21. 

The Crimson Tide hasn’t faced any huge tasks early in the season, but that is soon to change. Alabama will be in action next at the Phil Knight Invitational in Portland, Oregon, which includes the likes of the No. 1 University of North Carolina, No. 25 University of Connecticut, Villanova University, Michigan State University, the University of Oregon and Iowa State University. The tournament will run from Nov. 24-27. 

Alabama will begin the event against Michigan State, who has started the season 3-1 with wins over No. 4 University of Kentucky and Villanova. The Spartans lost to No. 2 Gonzaga by a single point. 

Tipoff between Alabama and Michigan State at the Moda Center is set for Thursday, Nov. 24, at 9:30 p.m. CT on ESPN. 

Questions or comments? Email Austin Hannon (Sports Editor) at [email protected]