Alabama’s postgame media availability started and the doors opened to the Crimson Tide locker room. Almost immediately, journalists crowded star freshman Brandon Miller. Camera lights buzzed and a few of Miller’s teammates shimmied out of the way of extended arms holding recorders.

Starting center Charles Bediako glanced over his shoulder and noticed the commotion. He decided to join in on the fun, holding his phone out as if he were a reporter and leaning toward Miller. No, Miller didn’t set a new program best for points in a game nor had a new accolade to comment on. Instead, Miller’s day was newsworthy for what he didn’t do.

For the first time this season, Miller was held scoreless. Nursing a groin injury, he grabbed five rebounds, made three assists and blocked one shot in 19 minutes, also a season-low. It wasn’t missed in Alabama’s opening 96-75 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, but it’s still a peculiar start for a projected top-three NBA Draft pick at the onset of March Madness.

“My team didn’t really need me to score,” Miller said. “There’s more ways to impact the game from the offensive side. I feel like the team did really good on the defensive side, just getting rebounds and pushing in transition and get a win.”

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Alabama’s offense produced a big lead early, scored more than its season average and was never threatened against the Islanders. In fact, with the deep part of the Crimson Tide bench seeing the court and a pro-Alabama crowd present in Birmingham’s Legacy Arena, it felt like a Tide home game. The only difference, though, was Miller’s absence on the scoresheet.

His production, or lack thereof, was a bright spot in Texas A&M-CC’s locker room after the game. Though Miller wasn’t named by Islander aids or assistants, a few clapped when Miller’s stat line was read aloud — he went 0-for-5 from the field and missed a trio of 3s.

“We got physical and he don’t like that s–t,” one team aide was overheard saying in the scrum.

All year, Texas A&M-CC worked to keep an opposing team’s best player, at most, to 10 points, according to senior De’Lazarus Keys. Six-foot-five senior Simeon Fryer, who drew the assignment on Miller, said the game plan was to stay in front of him and avoid fouling. Eventually, Fryer said, Miller could be forced into tough, contested jumpers.

“I don’t know if you can give our defense all of the credit,” Islanders coach Steve Lutz said. “Maybe he had an off night, I really don’t know. I don’t know the young man. I know that I’ve watched on tape and he’s really, really good. … It’s a feather in our camp. But I wouldn’t expect that to happen in many more tournament games.”

Crimson Tide players didn’t seem concerned about Miller’s final line. Multiple said they didn’t realize he went scoreless til they entered the locker room. Miller’s 19.7 points per game were made up for by 49 bench points, including a 19-point, 15-rebound double-double for freshman Nick Pringle. Five different scorers posted double-digit point totals, with Bediako scoring nine.

Miller said he won’t miss Saturday’s second-round game against Maryland.

Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at [email protected].