Ashley Falkner, left, an incoming Kansas University freshman from Olathe, and her mother, Julie Falkner, a 1990 KU graduate, eat on the balcony, and near a Jayhawk flag, Thursday at Embers restaurant, overlooking Bourbon Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The two were with a friend and Julie’s husband, Michael, also a 1990 graduate. The Falkner family attended the 2008 championship game in San Antonio, and the parents were students when KU won the championship in 1988.

Hilary Morton is as big a Jayhawk fan as they come. But the director of choirs at Free State High School wasn’t too pleased to hear about the approximate 7:49 p.m. start time for Saturday’s game.

That’s because Encore, the high school’s annual variety show put on by juniors and seniors in the choral program, had a show scheduled to start at 7:30 that night.

That means basketball fans around Lawrence who aren’t filling bars and restaurants will likely be hoping to catch some Jeff Withey blocks and Thomas Robinson slam dunks in the comfort of their own homes, come 7:49 p.m. Saturday.

Morton said she had about 100 tickets left for Saturday’s show, despite having brisk sales for Thursday and Friday performances. The show is always scheduled around this time of year, and last year it conflicted with the Elite Eight game against VCU.

People have called and asked her if the performance could be changed. But she tells them tickets have already been sold, and many other groups have demands on the school’s auditorium space.

“I ask people if they can just call (KU coach) Bill Self and see what he can do” about the game time, she said.

At the Lied Center, a concert featuring the Mnozil Brass ensemble is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

“We’re dealing with it as best we can,” said Tim Van Leer, executive director of the Lied Center.

The Austrian ensemble (whose tagline is “Where talent, tomfoolery, tubas, trombones and trumpets converge”), will take the whole thing in stride, Van Leer said.

The ensemble has learned the Kansas University fight song for the occasion. Lied Center staff members will be decked out in Jayhawk gear, and score updates for the game will be given during the show, Van Leer said.

You’ll be on your own, by the way, at the Encore performance at Free State High School. Though Morton in the past has given basketball score updates during the performance, she figured people who would want to know would check their cellphones, and many might have the game stored safely away on their DVRs and might not want to know the score.

Still, Van Leer said he realized that there will be people who have already purchased a (nonrefundable) ticket who will probably choose to stay home and watch the game.

“This does happen from time to time,” he said. “Others have a little more flexibility in being able to reschedule than we do.”

Sometimes, however, accommodations can be made.

The University Theatre moved its 7:30 p.m. curtain for its Saturday showing of the comedy “The Foreigner” to a 2:30 p.m. matinee in the William Inge Theatre in Murphy Hall.

Charla Jenkins, public relations director for the theater, said members of the play’s crew had crafted plans to have the game on during the play in the green room.

No dice, the director said, worried about missed cues. But in the end, the show relented.

“It’s really disheartening for our kids to play to a show of 10 people,” Jenkins said.

They were fortunate, she said, that the theater had an opening at another time. Tickets purchased for Saturday night’s show will be honored at other performances, Jenkins said.

And then, of course, there’s always Monday night, when KU would play if it beat Ohio State on Saturday.

“I don’t want to jinx it,” said Jenkins, whose theater has another show scheduled for Monday night.

But, she said, the theater does happen to have another opening on Thursday.