LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. — The first look at the 2010-11 UK basketball team has come and gone. Until Big Blue Madness on Oct. 15, all we will have to sustain us is recruiting rumors and sound bites from Coach Cal.

It had become accepted until last preseason to talk Kentucky football this time of year instead of basketball. Rightly so, since this is technically the cusp of football season and a relatively quiet time for basketball. That was B.C. (Before Calipari). Even though expectations are high for the Joker Phillips’ coached team, the hoop cats may have more expectations than they did with John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, and Patrick Patterson. Daniel Orton and Eric Bledsoe were also first round NBA picks, and yet we think UK might be better.

I have fallen into the unattainable expectations trap of so many Kentucky fans. If the first year is good, shouldn’t the next year be better. It does look that way.

It is hard to tell when you are playing teams that cannot match your talent, but what we saw this week leaves us wondering if we can’t take this year’s team and improve on last year’s performance. All we did last year was win 35 games, the SEC title, and reach the Elite Eight.

The real Kentucky team this season will be better than what we saw play three straight days in Canada.  And they will be better than last year. Here’s why:

Brandon Knight appears to be good as or better than John Wall. Wall was the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft because he was super fast and super athletic, but Knight’s composure and ability to play under control make him a more complete player. The kid can shoot too. Knight turned the ball over a total of five times in three games. Wall sometimes seemed to turn the ball over five times in three minutes. Knight’s number for three games were 24.3 points and just fewer than 10 assists. And get this, he can shoot free throws.

Knight seems to have an instant chemistry with Doron Lamb, who averaged 25 points the last two games in Canada. That came as a relief after he looked like a spectator in the first game. But Lamb learned quickly that if you run the floor, Knight will find you open. I don’t expect him to forget again.

Kentucky showed signs that it may be willing and able to turn on the pressure defense this season. Used rarely last year, pressure defense was one of the reasons we loved the style of Rick Pitino’s teams so much. It would have been useful last year when we couldn’t shoot enough to keep defenses honest. This year we have the shooting ability and potential for pressure. The Wildcats forced Western Ontario into 28 turnovers and that is a good sign. Especially when you consider very little of the 10 days in practice prior to the exhibitions was spent on pressure defense.

Kentucky showed signs of getting improved play from Darius Miller, who needs to repeat his 20-point effort in Canada several times this year. Josh Harrelson pulled 18 rebounds in a game. Jon Hood showed signs of being able to contribute real minutes. This all came with Kentucky only dressing eight players. The eight players included a freshman walk-on and only one of the three big men.

Big Turk Enes Kanter still hasn’t gotten the O.K. to play from the NCAA Eligibility Center. Eloy Vargas has yet to arrive at the UK campus. Terrence Jones is nursing a fractured rib.

Welcome to Kentucky where a 35-win season is just an appetizer. I hear we may be even better in 2011.

 Mitch Howard can be reached at mhoward@sentinel-echo.com