Ten quick hits to recap a busy weekend aboard two decommissioned aircraft carriers and a damp gator. 1. The games that finished: To minimal fanfare and with a relatively dry court, Notre Dame’s women’s team defeated the Ohio State women 57-51 on the decommissioned aircraft carrier Yorktown in Charleston, S.C., on Friday afternoon to begin what was supposed to be a four-game weekend shipboard slate. On Sunday in San Diego, the Syracuse men easily dispatched San Diego State 62-49 aboard the decommissioned carrier Yorktown. Between those games, things got interesting. 2. The first washout: The Ohio State and Marquette men…
Browsing: UConn
First there was last year’s Quicken Loans Carrier Classic aboard Carl Vinson in San Diego Harbor, matching two historic college basketball programs, Michigan State and North Carolina. Then there is the slew of games scheduled atop decommissioned flattops for this season. Now that playing atop a carrier in the elements is passé, Michigan State is moving farther afield. The Spartans will play perennial power UConn in November at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, MSU’s athletic director said Tuesday. Mark Hollis did note that this game is awaiting final approval from DoD, and I’m guessing the brass won’t allow for a game…
Cold Warriors, stand down. Despite recent reports, the U.S. remains ahead of the Russians when it comes to the next generation of naval warfare — namely, hosting sporting events on aircraft carriers. English-language all-Russian-news site RT.com reported Monday that the Major Hockey League, which is actually a minor hockey league (those wacky Russians) to the big-time KHL, is planning to hold a game on a flattop anchored in the Gulf of Finland. The host team would be HC VMS St. Petersburg, the Russian navy’s official hockey club, according to the report. No date is set, no opponent is named, and…
Near the beginning of the 2011-12 college hoops season, North Carolina downed Michigan State 67-55 aboard the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson in the Quicken Loans Carrier Classic. In a few days, both teams will compete for the NCAA title as No. 1 seeds — giving them much better odds at claiming a championship than you have at winning your office pool. But what about the flattop festivities for this November? With no carrier readily available in San Diego, the future looked dim. Until this report from The (Charleston, S.C.) Post and Courier, that is. According to the paper, the World…
It’s been a few days since any NCAA teams played basketball on an aircraft carrier. Never too early to think about the next time, right? The inaugural Quicken Loans Carrier Classic appears to have gone off without a hitch, as an outdoor hoops arena went up from scratch, a president made a cross-country visit … and somewhere along the way, the top-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels managed a 67-55 win over Michigan State. So, what about 2012? This USA Today report outlines some of the details, including the proposed date (Nov. 9, apparently ending the play-on-Veterans Day streak at one),…
