The two words were first uttered by Brandon Miller in mid-January: “National championship.”

What had seemed far off and perhaps even unattainable for most of Alabama’s men’s basketball history began to seem realistic about two months into the Tide’s 2022-23 season. A road win over No. 1-ranked Houston and several massive blowouts over SEC opponents set the stage for a conference regular-season title, tournament title, and the tournament’s pole position.

That all came crashing down in a three-minute span Friday night in Louisville when San Diego State erased Alabama’s nine-point lead, then held off the reeling Tide for the Sweet 16 upset.

There would be no national championship at Alabama for Miller, whose father is a former Tide football player and who is universally expected to enter the NBA draft this summer after his decorated freshman season.

But Miller, who could be one of the first three players chosen June 22, was not hanging his head.

“It’s a great team, man,” he said in the locker room after Alabama’s 71-64 loss. “That’s probably the best thing about it, being around these guys. I don’t think anybody can top this. I think we have the best bond in this country.

“Honestly, I still think we have the best team in this country.”

Alabama joined all of the other No. 1 seeds in the tournament in losing before the Elite Eight, despite arriving in Louisville with a 31-5 record, an SEC tournament title and SEC regular-season title.

“I think it was a pretty successful season,” Miller said. “Made it to the Sweet 16. Probably one of the biggest tournaments I’ve ever played in in my life. I think we really just came to have fun really and just compete at a high level.”

Added freshman guard Jaden Bradley: “From day one, we set goals: SEC tournament champs, regular-season champs and March Madness champs. We weren’t able to check off the last one. But just to get here to the Sweet 16, we’re definitely happy for that opportunity. But at the end of the day we wanted to win. It’s kinda tough.”

Oats also lauded what his team accomplished despite its upset loss to the No. 5 seed Aztecs.

“I’ll say it’s one of the most memorable seasons ever,” Oats said. “It’s not easy to win the regular season, the SEC tournament in the same year and make a Sweet 16 run.

“We had an unbelievable year. Everybody is really disappointed in the loss. It ended too soon.”

The final two months of the season were shaped by the Jan. 15 arrest of bench player Darius Miles for capital murder, then news Feb. 21 that Miller and Bradley were at the scene of the shooting, although both are considered witnesses and not suspects. Both of those events brought national scrutiny on the program, although players spoke Friday night about how they remained together under the spotlight.

“Just playing around these guys, working hard every day in practice, to fall short, I think, it’s not — it’s a bad feeling now, but I feel like our bond is too close to break,” Miller said. “So I feel like after this we probably are just going to go and make our bond even stronger. I’m pretty sure we’re going to have somebody in someone’s weddings in the future, so, I mean, it’s just a bond that you can’t break.”

Oats has noticed the same.

“It’s a great group that really loves each other,” he said. “They’re going to be close for life, most of them. I love the group, they love each other, and it’s just really disappointing that it’s ending early.

“But I think it’s one of the most memorable seasons in Alabama history, and they can walk out of here with their heads up.”

Mike Rodak is an Alabama beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @mikerodak.