Basketball On An Aircraft Carrier - President Obama and the first lady ended Veterans Day aboard the USS Carl Vinson, where they watched the University of North Carolina men's basketball team defeat Michigan State University.

The NCAA men's basketball game between the University of North Carolina and Michigan State University is aboard the USS Carl Vinson, docked at Naval Station North Island on November 11, 2011 in San Diego, California. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

Basketball On An Aircraft Carrier

Basketball On An Aircraft Carrier

President Obama and the First Lady ended Veterans Day aboard the USS Carl Vinson, where they watched the University of North Carolina men's basketball team defeat Michigan State University in the first Carrier Classic.

College Basketball Game On An Aircraft Carrier [3000x1891]

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama watch the lowering of the colors aboard the USS Carl Vinson at Naval Station North Island on November 11, 2011 in San Diego, California. The nightly tradition takes place at dusk, as players from the University of North Carolina and Michigan State University stand by as sailors lead the ceremony. (Official White House photo by Pete Souza)

More than 8,000 people were in bleachers on the flight deck of the 95,000-ton Nimitz-class ship, most of them military personnel in uniform. As much as the president loves a good basketball game, his real reason for the event is to celebrate the members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families and make sure our nation does their heroes good:

This week, all week, we are celebrating our veterans, but we need to turn our words into action. And so what we've done is we've made sure that Congress passes legislation that makes it a little bit easier for businesses to hire our veterans. We have implemented several reforms to help veterans, ensure they get the counseling and job placement they need. Dr. The first lady teamed up with Jill Biden to create Troops, which has now delivered on commitments: 100,000 jobs for veterans and military spouses nationwide. And we are grateful to him for this effort. But every American citizen today can hope to find some opportunity to support our troops, those still on active duty, our National Guard, our reservists and our veterans.

UPDATE: View a slideshow of photos from Veterans Day events featuring the president, first lady and vice president. In this photo taken with a fisheye lens, Michigan State center Derrick Nicks (25) rebounds past North Carolina forward John Henson (31) during the first half of the Career Classic NCAA college basketball game aboard the USS Carl Vinson. On Friday, November 11, 2011, Coronado, California defeated North Carolina 67-55. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) Associated Press

Michigan State, Gonzaga Reportedly Working On Playing Game On Aircraft Carrier

According to a report from CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein, the Spartans and Gonzaga are in "advanced discussions" to play a game on an aircraft carrier in San Diego on Veterans Day, Nov. 11.

A typical scenario was the second for Michigan State in a 67-55 loss to North Carolina in the Carrier Classic on Nov. 11, 2011, on the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson. Then-President Barack Obama attended the game with 8,111.

Although there are logistical issues to work out due to Army, both Michigan State and Gonzaga are optimistic the game will be scheduled, according to Rothstein, who reported there is no timeline for an official announcement.

Basketball On An Aircraft Carrier

Michigan State will face Kentucky in the Champions Classic on Nov. 15 in Indianapolis and Portland, Ore., on Nov. 24-27 will play in the Phil Knight Invitational. Iowa State, North Carolina, Oregon, Alabama, Portland, UConn and Villanova are the other teams in the field.

Obama Will Attend College Basketball Game On Aircraft Carrier

The Spartans are coming off a 23-13 season and have reached the NCAA Tournament for the 24th consecutive year under coach Tom Izzo. Gonzaga finished 28-4 last season and advanced to the Sweet 16 for the seventh consecutive year while making its 23rd straight tournament appearance under coach Mark Few.

Michigan State holds a 4-1 all-time record against Gonzaga. The Spartans won the last meeting in 2011, 74-67.

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North Carolina defeated Michigan State 67–55 in the 2011 Carrier Classic game played aboard the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson.

Carrier Classic: Unc Downs Michigan State On The Uss Carl Vinson, 67 55

The Veterans Day game between Gonzaga and Michigan State on the Abraham Lincoln Deck is the first in over a decade.

A pair of national college basketball powerhouses meet on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier in San Diego. Gonzaga and Michigan State will meet on Veterans Day aboard the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln at Naval Air Station North Island.

The concept came and went a decade ago, with four games (two in San Diego) marred by the elements, wet courts that made footwork treacherous or windy conditions that made 3-point shots look like knuckleballs.

Basketball On An Aircraft Carrier

The contest will be confirmed today in a joint announcement by the schools and ESPN Events, which will host the game.

Big Ten Roundup: Michigan State, Gonzaga Schedule Air Craft Carrier Game

"The opportunity to honor the men and women of the military and thank them for what they do always creates a great backdrop for Veterans Day and that weekend," said ESPN Vice President of Events Clint Overby. “We are very excited and frankly honored to be doing this.

"It was a combination of interest from the team, interest from our own network and interest from the Navy."

The tipoff coincides with the 33rd anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's inauguration. The aircraft carrier has been based in San Diego for the past three years.

Abraham Lincoln was commissioned in January and is currently participating in the Rim of the Pacific naval exercise in Hawaii through August 4. She is scheduled to return to her homeport at NAS North Island in the fall.

Why Is The Military Hosting A Basketball Game On An Aircraft Carrier?

"Those who serve and those who have served know that the military is the ultimate team sport," Vice Admiral Kenneth Whitesell, commander of Naval Air Forces, said in a statement. "I can think of no better way to salute our men and women in uniform than to celebrate this American pastime together aboard warships in our nation's capital."

Logistics, including audience capacity, for the event are still being determined. Overby said that will be less than the more than 8,000 seats set for the 2011 Carrier Classic game played in San Diego aboard the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson.

There are no tickets for the general public, with seating limited to military guests and some equipment allocation.

Basketball On An Aircraft Carrier

"There will certainly be a plan B that we will work out at a later date," Overby said. "We're working with the schools right now on the Plan B aspect in case of high winds, rain, rain or whatever."

Gonzaga, Michigan State To Play On Uss Abraham Lincoln On Nov. 11

The Armed Forces Classic was created by ESPN Events in 2012, although the previous eight events (cancelled the last two years due to the pandemic) have been held at U.S. bases at home and abroad in Germany, Japan and South Korea.

"I honestly wouldn't rule out any particular location," Overby said: "When you're out there you're dealing with the unknown. No matter how good the predictive models are, there's some uncertainty you have to deal with. .

"The good news is that the coaches and their administrations and the athletes are confident in the opportunity and want to move forward. They understand the potential obstacles. In light of everything, I think it's a great opportunity and the schools feel the same way.

The game was also on Veterans Day, as kickoff was pushed back two days due to wet weather in the forecast.

Second Ranked Gonzaga To Face Michigan State In Armed Forces Classic

When the teams took the court, the windy conditions were partly responsible for SDSU's 1-of-18 3-point shooting performance against the Orange.

Two scheduled Carrier games on the East Coast that year were canceled (one of them at halftime) when condensation formed on the courts and playing conditions became dangerous.

A year ago on Veterans Day 11-11-11, Michigan State defeated North Carolina 67-55 in San Diego on the Carl Vinson Flight Deck.

Basketball On An Aircraft Carrier

Organizers tentatively planned to build a second indoor field, but rolled the dice that the weather would cooperate and abandoned those plans midweek.

San Diego Based Aircraft Carrier To Host College Basketball Game

The gathering clouds made for a beautiful sunset, providing a backdrop for the surreal setting. A crowd of 8,111 people, most of them military, watched from makeshift bleachers aboard the ship that had carried Osama bin Laden's body for burial at sea six months earlier.

President Obama spoke briefly before taking center court for the 2011 event at Carl Vinson.

Michigan State alum Magic Johnson was the Spartans' honorary captain. The Tar Heels were represented by James Worthy, who stepped in because he had an earlier commitment to Michael Jordan.

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo is one

College Basketball: Msu, Gonzaga To Play Aboard San Diego Based Carrier Deck

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