By LARRY VAUGHT

First-year Alabama coach Anthony Grant will make his first trip to Rupp Arena as a head coach — he was on Billy Donovan’s staff at Florida — Tuesday when the Crimson Tide takes on No. 3 UK.

Here are some thoughts Grant shared about the Wildcats during his press conference Monday.

On facing a tough Kentucky team following close losses:
Grant: “I think Kentucky, when you look at the talent and the way they’re playing, that’s a very tough opponent to play, regardless of the situation, so I don’t think one has to do with the other.  For me right now, our focus is on our basketball team and continuing to do the things that we’ve talked about all year – getting an understanding of what it takes to win, what we’ve got to do and how we should approach each game and the preparation that’s involved in each game so that we put ourselves in the best situation to play the best we can and be successful.
“Again, Kentucky is a very talented basketball team.  I think they’re playing extremely well, so for us it’s just a matter of going in and controlling the things that we can control – how hard we play, how well we compete and the attention to the details that are involved in what allows us to have a chance.  I think right now it’s more about us than it is about anything else.”

On Kentucky freshman guard John Wall:
Grant: “He’s a very talented player.  I’m extremely impressed with his ability in what he’s done as a freshman walking into college basketball, let alone the SEC, for what he’s been able to accomplish.  I think with his scoring, his leadership and his ability to make the game easier for his teammates he is a very talented guy.  For us it’s never going to be about an individual.  Kentucky is a very talented team.  We’re going to approach it in terms of a team game and try to put ourselves in a position to have success.”

On what makes Kentucky a great team:
Grant: “Well they’re extremely talented, a very talented team and a very deep team.  Coach (John) Calipari has done a great job of blending the talent that he has.  He’s got them playing extremely hard and they appear to be playing together.  Anytime you do that it’s a great recipe when you have the talent that he has.  It makes for an awfully good team, which they are.”

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