Kentucky’s last three exhibition losses? All followed by greatness.

Six days after blowing out preseason No. 1 Purdue, Kentucky lost its second exhibition game, losing to Georgetown 84-70 in Rupp Arena. UK shot poorly from the field, from deep, and from the free-throw line, making only 33.3 percent of its shots, 23.3 percent from 3-point range, and 65.7 percent from the line. Meanwhile, Georgetown’s two all-conference guards, Malik Mack and KJ Lewis, combined for 41 points on 17 of 29 shooting. They carved up Kentucky’s defense.

The loss stunk, even if it didn’t really count. If you’re searching for a silver lining, there are three in the history books. The last time Kentucky lost a preseason exhibition was back in 2014, when John Calipari’s squad dropped its final game in the Bahamas, a 63-62 loss to the Dominican Republic after six games in eight days. Calipari said afterward they’d never try a stretch like that again. And what happened next?

Kentucky won 31 straight games, a perfect regular season and the best start in school history. So, yes, Thursday’s loss to Georgetown was ugly. But history says an ugly exhibition doesn’t have to mean an ugly season.

There are more examples.

2002 loss sparked another undefeated run

If you go back even further, Kentucky‘s next most recent exhibition loss came in 2002, when Team Nike beat the 17th-ranked Wildcats 84–75 at Rupp Arena. That Kentucky team shot just 36 percent from the field, 25 percent from three, and missed 10 of 11 attempts from deep in the second half. Sound familiar?

That group went on to go undefeated in SEC play and win the SEC Tournament, earning a No. 1 seed in the 2003 NCAA Tournament before being upset by Marquette in the Elite Eight.

1995 loss in Italy before a national championship

And before those two, Kentucky lost to Montecatini, a pro team, on a tour of Italy in 1995. It was the fourth of five games in eight days in various parts of Italy, and the Wildcats featured a young Mark Pope at starting center, coincidentally. Pope scored 13 points, and Rick Pitino got ejected in the 123-115 loss on foreign soil.

And what did that team do when it got back to the States? Won the national championship.

So, if history’s any guide, maybe Kentucky fans should thank Georgetown now and enjoy the ride later. It starts on Tuesday.

[Big Blue History]