Today's Cats Illustrated Newsstand is full of basketball and football links with a look at former Kentucky players in the pro ranks.

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“We stink,” Kentucky head coach John Calipari said Tuesday in an interview on Kentucky Sports Radio.

They’re not exactly the two words Big Blue Nation want to hear from their head coach with the regular season approaching in less than a month, but they do serve as a reminder that patience may be more important than ever.

“This is going to be truly a process,” Calipari said. “This will be more than any year I’ve coached here, a process. I like the team. They have great attitudes. There’s no back and forth. It’s me knowing that, holy cow, we got a ways to go here. If you think we’re OK, we’re done. You gotta know that we’re not even close to where we need to be.”

LINK: Calipari cautions early season could be a struggle

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On Tuesday, John Calipari delivered his thoughts about the Louisville basketball scandal after ducking the topic at Kentucky basketball media day two weeks ago.

"I hate that it’s happened this way," Calipari said in an interview with Kentucky Sports Radio in the wake of coach Rick Pitino's firing amid an FBI investigation into college basketball recruiting.

LINK: Kentucky Wildcats' coach John Calipari: 'The University of Louisville has to do well'

Kentucky’s head coach has been training the secondary at one level or another for nearly 30 years.

So he looks at that position group with an especially critical eye.

Mark Stoops had some especially critical words for his safeties and cornerbacks after the Cats’ 45-7 loss at Mississippi State on Saturday.

LINK: Kentucky coaches demand more fight from Cats

When Mark Stoops was asked Monday if he knew what Tennessee football coach Butch Jones is going through, I thought of a line by Bubbles from "The Wire."

"Thin line between heaven and here."

LINK: Kentucky coach Mark Stoops understands the thin line Butch Jones walks

It’s judgment week in Lexington.

The Kentucky Wildcats return home to Kroger Field on Saturday after getting trampled in Starkville. The Wildcats were outplayed, outcoached, and out hustled by Dan Mullen’s Bulldogs and we will now find out what kind of resiliency this club has as they enter the most important part of the schedule.

No matter how you slice it, Kentucky is right where they need to be as they sit at 5-2 and an eight-win regular season and a winning conference record are still very achievable goals. For this to happen, Mark Stoops must beat a member of the SEC East Big Three (Georgia, Florida, Tennessee) for the first time in his tenure.

LINK: Seven things to know about the Tennessee Volunteers

Cats Illustrated takes a closer look at Saturday's Kentucky-Tennessee game and breaks down the matchup by comparing the teams by position.

LINK: Who has the edge by position in Kentucky-Tennessee?

Early this morning Cats Illustrated managing editor Jeff Drummond posted some "stats of the weird" for this Kentucky football team at the House of Blue.

These numbers shed more light on who Kentucky is, and who they aren't.

LINK: Stats of the weird

Here are some stories from Tennessee media that will also help you get ready for Saturday's UK-UT game.

The 2017 season has turned into a long, hard slog for Tennessee fans. A season that opened full of promise has turned into the kind of train wreck, primarily thanks to a sputtering offense, that both fascinates and makes you want to avert your eyes.

LINK: Guarantano showing progress but offense still searching for answers

Austin Price and Jesse Simonton recap Jarrett Guarantano and Ethan Wolf’s comments with the media Tuesday.

LINK: 2-minute drill: Guarantano, Wolf offer thoughts on the offense

Tennessee quarterback Jarrett Guarantano and tight end Ethan Wolf discussed the team’s offensive struggles and preview Saturday’s game at Kentucky.

Linebacker Daniel Bituli also talked about his pick-six and development at MLB.

LINK: Vols talk offensive struggles, preview Kentucky

While a tightly framed video circulated and hot-take tweets and emoji launched across social media, Washington Wizards star John Wall remained silent.

What? You actually thought Wall, who fuels his fire with the doubt of others, didn’t see the video of the father of Los Angeles Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball calling out his team? Naturally, Wall paid attention to LaVar Ball’s interview clip.

LINK: LaVar Ball had his say; now John Wall promises to show 'no mercy'

With Wall widely considered to be the fastest player in the league, Ball was asked who is the fastest point guard he’s ever faced. The former UCLA star didn’t hesitate to give the Sacramento Kings’ De’Aaron Fox that distinction.

LINK: Lonzo Ball calls De'Aaron Fox the fastest PG he's faced

An MRI on the left knee of New Orleans Pelicans All-Star big man Anthony Davis came back negative, coach Alvin Gentry said after the team's 103-93 lossto the Trail Blazers on Tuesday night in Portland, Oregon.

Davis is considered day-to-day, a league source told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

LINK: Anthony Davis exits game with knee injury; X-Ray comes back negative

Demarcus Cousins is known for his brash attitude and is often associated with being a headache, but there is little that he regrets despite what he may feel is an unfair reputation.

However, there is one thing the New Orleans Pelicans All-Star center opens up about in an interview with ESPN’s Marc Spears to reveal that he does regret, and that would be to leave the Sacramento Kings much sooner when he had the opportunity.

LINK: Demarcus Cousins regrets staying with Kings for so long