Mark down Friday, October 6th as the first day you can see Hunter Dickinson, Arterio Morris, Nick Timberlake and the other new and returning Jayhawks officially suit up inside Allen Fieldhouse this season.
KU’s annual season basketball tipoff, Late Night in the Phog, will take place on Oct. 6, with the usual high-energy show planned yet again.
More details about the event, which typically has featured a notable musical guest, will be announced at a later date.
But no matter which artist is sharing the spotlight, it’s always the Jayhawks who take center stage.
Since the 1988-89 season, the event has featured both the men’s and women’s basketball teams entertaining the sold-out crowd with skits, scrimmages and other memorable antics.
The pep band, spirit squad and even a few KU students also play a big role in the event, which has turned into an all-day affair, with the fun starting on the Allen Fieldhouse lawn well ahead of the doors opening for the event at night.
Late Night began in 1985, with the first “Late Night with Larry Brown” showcasing the 1985-86 men’s basketball team in front of what Kansas Athletics says was about 6,000 fans, most of them being students.
Since then, the 39-year-old season-opening celebration has grown even bigger under Roy Williams and Bill Self while also becoming one of the biggest nights on the recruiting calendar each year.
Last season, Late Night featured a new seating arrangement, with a stage stationed at the south end of the court. The 2022 event also marked the unveiling of the program's 2022 national champions banner at the Fieldhouse's north end.
The 2023-24 Jayhawks will open the season with an exhibition contest at Allen Fieldhouse against Fort Hays State on Nov. 1 and begin the regular season against North Carolina Central five days later.
Times for KU’s non-conference schedule have not yet been announced, and the Big 12 portion of the schedule, which will feature contests against newcomers BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF will be announced later this summer.
