KU men’s and women’s basketball also announces additional exhibition contests against Louisville and Northeastern State, respectively
Via Kansas Athletics
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas men’s and women’s basketball will conduct separate 2026 editions of Late Night in the Phog presented by HyVee in conjunction with an exhibition contest for each program.
With elements from previous Late Nights, the KU men’s team will host Pittsburg State on Friday, Oct. 16, while the KU women’s team will host Washburn on Thursday, Oct. 29. Both contests will be played in historic Allen Fieldhouse.
By hosting exhibition games, the format for the 2026 Late Night in the Phog has shifted but will still have the feel of the annual celebration. Fans will be encouraged to show up early as Late Night will feature full team introductions before the game with interaction activities before, during and after the contests, including giveaways, halftime and postgame events and much more. Like in the past, Just Foods will be present at both Late Night events collecting food items and monetary donations.
On the men’s side, Phog Fest will continue on the front lawn of Allen Fieldhouse before Late Night, with events starting at 2 p.m. on Oct. 16. It will have activities for all fans to enjoy, including the Hawk Zone with inflatable games, music and much more. Phog Fest will also include food trucks, giveaways from a variety of sponsors, interactive displays and more.
Additionally, the KU men’s team’s second exhibition contest will be Wednesday, Oct. 21, when it hosts Louisville in a return game from last season. On the women’s side, KU will open exhibition play hosting Northeastern State on Thursday, Oct. 22.
These exhibition contests will be included in the season ticket packages and single event tickets will go on sale at a later date. Kansas Athletics Community Cares tickets will be made available to local community groups for these contests as has been done with Late Night in the past.
Pittsburg State is coached by former KU standout Jeff Boschee. Last season the KU men’s team won at Louisville, 90-82, on Oct. 24, 2025, in the first of a home-and-home exhibition agreement.
Led by two All-Big 12 First Team returners in S’Mya Nichols and Jaliya Davis, the Kansas women’s basketball team will play its two exhibition games before opening the season on Tuesday, Nov. 3 at Allen Fieldhouse against Omaha. The Jayhawks have eight non-conference home games prior to the start of Big 12 play.
The Late Night contest against Washburn will feature elevated fan activations on the concourse throughout the evening in addition to enhanced introductions of the team prior to tipoff. The contest will be KU’s first exhibition against the Ichabods since Nov. 1, 2024, when then-sophomore Brittany Harshaw scored a game-high 20 points and Nichols added 16 to lift the Jayhawks to an 81-54 victory.
