Earlier this month, the Kansas Jayhawks made some big changes to the annual “Late Night in the Phog” event.
Come this fall, there will be two separate events, one for the men’s and one for the women’s, allowing both teams to get their chance in the spotlight. That isn’t all, however, as it was also announced that rather than facing off in an intra-squad setting, both teams will be facing fellow NCAA competition. The men’s team will be taking on Pittsburg State on October 16th, with the women’s team facing off against Washburn, two weeks later.
Since then, this has been a move faced with extreme support and earlier this week head coach Bill Self got his say on the matter.
“You know, we actually try to play well at late nights. You don't say, ‘go just jack around.’ Okay, we're gonna try to play the right way. And it never works out that way.” While the event will always be a spectacle, there is no denying that the allure has dipped over the past few seasons.
“I think this Late Night will probably allow us to not waste a day of practice, which will be good.”
While Pittsburg State is a DII program, the chance to play against real competition will be a massive change from the previously much staler format fans had been used to for so long.
“Also, there's some things about this Late Night that are different. There's only a few opportunities where people that don't get a chance to watch this play can come, and hopefully there can be some great, creative things done in that regard that will make it a special night, but we're not gonna take away from interactions…”
Kansas’ athletics department has kept a firm stance that there will still be several of the same attractions that made Late Night so unique in the past, and until this edition takes place, you can’t judge them.
This is a part of a massive preseason revamp
Over the last week, the Jayhawks have also announced home exhibitions against Louisville and Duke on October 21st and 25th, respectively.
These are set to be two of the most highly-anticipated exhibitions in recent memory. For one, Kansas’ biggest portal loss of last season was center Flory Budunga, who made the move to the Cardinals. While Bidunga has his flaws on offense, there is no doubt he is one of the nation’s best defenders, which is why he was touted as the nation’s No. 1 transfer.
Meanwhile, last season, the Darryn Peterson-less Jayhawks took on the Duke Blue Devils inside the historic Madison Square Garden in the State Farm Champions Classic. Even though KU was missing their star guard, they kept it close until the final five minutes, when Jon Scheyer’s side began to pull away in the 78-66 loss.
For most teams across the nation, these preseason exhibitions are typically drab affairs that often look like both teams are just waiting for the game to be over; however, the Jayhawks have ensured an exciting round of fixtures awaits come October.
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