Kentucky prepared for track meet at Alabama: "We welcome it."

If you’re looking for a run-and-gun team at the collegiate level, one that plays with tempo and lives and dies by the three, there’s no greater example than the Alabama Crimson Tide. It’s a group that leads all major conferences in total 3-point attempts with 653 on the year, good for 30 attempts per game.

On one end, it’s a style of play that’s allowed them to defeat the likes of Gonzaga, Houston, Tennessee, LSU and Baylor. On the other, the Tide have lost to the likes of Iona, Memphis, Davidson, Missouri and Georgia thanks to poor shooting efforts.

Entertaining? Certainly. Efficient? Considering the team is only shooting 31.4 percent from three on the year, not quite. They are, however, averaging 81.4 points per game, good for No. 10 in the nation.

For a boom or bust offense in Alabama, Kentucky’s Kellan Grady welcomes the challenge. If the Tide want to push the pace and jack up 3-pointers all evening, Grady not only believes the Wildcats are built to withstand that firepower, but that they can counter with even greater force.

“We hope they do, we welcome it,” Grady said of Alabama attempting to push the pace. “We always get excited if the game can be back and forth because eventually — as Coach Cal always says — someone’s gonna let go of the rope.”

Alabama may have earned the reputation of boasting a high-octane offense capable of putting points on the board in a hurry, but Kentucky’s numbers suggest they, in fact, deserve the hype. The Wildcats average 81.9 points per game — No. 8 in college basketball — while shooting 49.3 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from three. UK is ranked No. 4 overall in the latest KenPom ratings, highlighted by the No. 4 offense in college basketball in terms of efficiency.

“We’re so conditioned and so trained to play that fast,” Grady said. “We practice with a ton of full-court drills where we’re constantly working on our speed and playing at that pace. You can see how we can maintain it, so we would love it if the game was a track meet. We think we have an advantage there.”

It will be a clash of offensive powerhouses, one played at Alabama’s home arena, Coleman Coliseum. Like most road trips it experiences during SEC play, Kentucky expects to see a hostile environment.

“They know who they’re playing. It’s going to be sold out like always,” John Calipari said Friday. “They can say this game is (just another game), but it’s Kentucky. Here we come.”

The Wildcats know they’ll get the Crimson Tide’s best effort in Tuscaloosa, regardless of what their record may indicate. That’s just what happens when Kentucky comes to town.

“Oh, I expect them to be great on Saturday,” Grady said. “You know, they just had a big win (over Baylor). And just to be blunt, we’re coming to town and a lot of times that creates an electric environment. It’s a big game for opponents all the time, so we expect to get the best of them. We’ll be prepared for it.”

“We’re coming into town, so we already know they’re going to give us their best shot,” freshman guard TyTy Washington added. “I feel like every team we play against, we’re going to get their best shot because of the name we have on our jerseys. … It’s going to be a really fun and challenging task.”

Much has been said about Alabama’s style of play and shot-heavy offense with teams trying to figure out ways to slow things down. Calipari, though, is focused on his own team and how it can continue to produce in yet another high-profile conference matchup.

“I’m more concerned about how my team plays than somebody else’s,” Calipari said. “If they’re at our best, and we’re at our best, and they beat us, we move on to the next game. You always try to take a couple of things away from them and then you’re trying to take advantage of a couple things on offense. Not much, because at the end of the day, it’s — you’re on the road.

“They beat some of the top-ranked teams in the country. It’s going to be a really hard game for us to win, we know that.”