November 11, 2011: College Basketball On an Aircraft Carrier

November 11, 2011: Two of college basketball's greatest programs face each other -- on the deck of an aircraft carrier.

The USS Carl Vinson, named for the longtime Congressman from Georgia known as "the Father of the Two-Ocean Navy," was docked at the U.S. naval base in San Diego. Stands were erected on its deck, and 8,111 fans were in attendance, including President Barack Obama, who had been a high school basketball star, along with some of his family, including First Lady Michelle Obama, and her brother, Craig Robinson, then the head basketball coach at Oregon State. The proceeds benefited the Wounded Warrior Project, a veterans' organization.

The date was chosen because it was Veterans Day. The teams chosen were the University of North Carolina, already 5-time NCAA Champions and 18-time Final Four participants; and Michigan State University, 2-time National Champions and 8-time Final Four participants. The North Carolina Tar Heels were represented by their greatest player ever, Michael Jordan; the Michigan State Spartans, by theirs, Earvin "Magic" Johnson.

North Carolina won, 67-55. Harrison Barnes of North Carolina led all scorers with 17 points, and John Henson added 12. Branden Dawson and Adreian Payne led Michigan State with 10 points.

The Carrier Classic was renewed on November 9, 2012, aboard the USS Yorktown in Charleston, South Carolina. It was a doubleheader, first the Notre Dame and Ohio State women's teams, then the Ohio State and Marquette men's teams. Notre Dame won the opener, 57-51. But the Ohio State-Marquette game had to be canceled, due to condensation on the court. That wasn't an issue in the previous year's game in dry San Diego, despite being right on the water, but it was this time.

Two more Carrier Classics were scheduled. Also on November 9, on the USS Bataan in Jacksonville, Florida, between Georgetown and the University of Florida. This game got underway, but had to be stopped due to condensation. And on November 11, aboard the USS Midway in San Diego, a game was played to a conclusion, with Syracuse beating San Diego State, 62-49.

In June 2013, it was announced that the Carrier Classic would not be renewed. Finally, on November 11, 2022, another was held, named the Peraton Armed Forces Classic: Gonzaga beat Michigan State, 64-63, aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln in San Diego.

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November 11, 2011 was a Friday. Baseball season was over. The NBA team owners had locked out the players, so the season ended up not starting until Christmas Day. One college football game was played: The University of South Florida beat Syracuse, 37-17 at the Carrier Dome (now the JMA Wireless Dome) in Syracuse, New York.

There were 7 NHL games played that night:

* The New York Rangers beat the Carolina Hurricanes, 5-1 at Madison Square Garden.

* The New Jersey Devils lost to the Washington Capitals, 3-1 at the Prudential Center.

* The Buffalo Sabres beat the Ottawa Senators, 5-1 at the HSBC Arena (now the KeyBank Center) in Buffalo.

* The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Dallas Stars, 3-1 at the Consol Energy Center (now the PPG Paints Arena) in Pittsburgh.

* The Detroit Red Wings beat the Edmonton Oilers, 3-0 at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.

* The Chicago Blackhawks beat the Calgary Flames, 4-1 at the United Center in Chicago.

* And the Anaheim Ducks beat the Vancouver Canucks, 4-3 at the Honda Center in Anaheim.