A former camper’s guide to the Kansas Basketball lottery system

Kansas basketball operates one of the most unique, lucrative, and tightly run camping systems in the Big 12. On game week, it’s not uncommon for Allen Fieldhouse to reach half-capacity before 6 a.m., hours even days before the Jayhawks take the floor.

For students hoping to secure a spot inside the rowdiest student section in the state, you have to understand the process. Here’s everything you need to know about the camping system and how it works.

Signing Up Comes First

Before the process starts, all groups who wish to participate need to register. Sign-ups are conducted online, with the link posted on the official KU Basketball Camping page on X. Ahead of the 2025–26 season, Kansas released updated rules that all participants are expected to follow.

Registration is mandatory, and groups who don’t sign up in advance are not eligible to participate until after numbers are drawn. That could mean the difference between sitting in the student section or watching big games from the volleyball arena.

Lottery Day at Allen Fieldhouse

Once registered, students show up prior 6 a.m. on a designated date during game week to draw lottery numbers. Groups can include up to 30 people, and one number is drawn for every five members.

Those numbers determine each group’s place in line. Low numbers put you at the front, while high numbers mean you’ll wait longer and sit higher up. Each group is assigned the placement of its lowest number. More numbers increases your chances, but it’s all luck of the draw.

After all registered groups have been drawn, “leaders” make a list ranking groups from the lowest to highest. This list is the official order for the game.

Camping Rules and Roll Call

Once the list is posted, camping officially begins. Each group must have at least one member on-site inside the Allen Fieldhouse concourse at all times. While leaving the site is allowed, it comes with risk.

Throughout the day, any group member may call roll. If a group fails to respond or is missing, it is crossed off the list. The group conducting the roll call then records the time and which groups were removed. No exceptions are made.

Camping can be suspended at any point if all present groups agree. It never runs later than 10 p.m. on any given day.

If no objections to suspending are made, participants are free to leave and return at 6 a.m. the following morning. 

Then the process continues.

Final roll call is called a number of hours prior to tipoff on gameday with groups being handed out physical numbers, clearing out for gameday staff to prepare the venue. From there, a physical line is formed outside and the gates are opened two hours prior to the game.

It may sound strict, and it is. The system exists to hold all group members accountable in a process where demand far exceeds availability.

The Payoff

Students who follow the rules and brave the early mornings have by far the best experience. By tip-off, there’s a chance you’ll bear witness to one of the greatest wins in program history.

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