Late Night in the Phog is turning a page, and KU basketball is using the 42nd edition to do it. For the first time in years, the event will center on an actual opponent instead of an intrasquad showcase, with Pittsburg State visiting Allen Fieldhouse on Friday, Oct. 17, 2025 at 7 p.m.
That change matters because Late Night has long lived somewhere between spectacle and basketball. This year, the balance shifts more firmly toward the game. Bill Self said the format will be different because “it’s just a game,” and Kansas is also moving away from the musical component entirely after forgoing a headlining artist in favor of dueling DJs in 2025.
Still, this will not be a stripped-down exhibition. Self said Kansas will keep the traditional Late Night elements during the game, including a longer halftime and the familiar shots-for-money segment. In other words, the pageantry stays, but the basketball gets more substance. That is a meaningful adjustment for an event that once carried even greater weight as a recruiting stage.
The historical context helps explain why. In the early 2000s, Late Night in the Phog was thriving, according to Self. Kansas had to turn away thousands of fans in 2013 who wanted to see Andrew Wiggins’ unofficial debut, and in 2015 Self brought in a contingent that included De’Aaron Fox, Harry Giles and Malik Monk. Those moments made Late Night feel like a destination. The 2025 version is different, but not by accident.
Self also pointed out that the event remains a major recruiting and campus moment, especially for younger fans and students. He called it the biggest freshman-student-recruitment day of the year, which gives Kansas another reason to make the night feel more like a true basketball event. With 11 of KU’s 16 players set to be on public display, the exhibition format offers a more useful preview than a typical intrasquad run-through.
What Kansas fans will see next
The men’s and women’s programs are no longer sharing the same Late Night date, either. Kansas’ women will play an exhibition against Northeastern State on Oct. 22, 2025, then host their own Late Night against Washburn on Oct. 29. That separation gives each program a clearer spotlight and gives KU basketball fans two distinct preseason checkpoints instead of one crowded showcase.
So the headline is simple enough: Pittsburg State is coming to Late Night in the Phog, and the event starts at 7 p.m. on Oct. 17. The bigger takeaway is that Kansas has reworked one of its signature traditions without abandoning what made it matter. The music is gone, the format is more basketball-focused, and the first public look at this team will feel a little more like a game than a show — which, for a preseason opener, may be exactly the point.
