The defensive back at the center of one of the most unexpected finishes in college football history reportedly will trade his final year of eligibility at Michigan State to don Air Force blue. Jalen Watts-Jackson and the rest of the Spartans appeared doomed to defeat on Oct. 17, 2015, down 23-21 with 10 seconds to play at rival Michigan. Facing a fourth down, all the Wolverines had to do was fire off a long punt, maybe survive a desperation Hail Mary, and claim a rivalry victory. And then: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBlgN85wB6U Watts-Jackson’s game-winning fumble recovery and return kept the Spartans unbeaten and…
Browsing: Michigan State
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…
Are you a fan of early-season college basketball? Of camouflage-themed uniform designs? Of playing basketball on multiple warships, active and decommissioned? Or playing overseas, at odd times, to placate television audiences? If so, this is your lucky week. On Friday, five college hoops games with a military feel will be played in less than eight hours — four games on ships, one game on a base in Germany. Here’s a breakdown of who’s playing who where this Friday: (UPDATE: West Coast game moved to Sunday because of weather concerns) Armed Forces Classic Presented by: Sears Who: No. 14 Michigan State…
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…
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 looks like the first-ever college basketball game played on an aircraft carrier will be played above deck. A rainstorm had threatened to strike San Diego just in time to push the Quicken Loans Carrier Classic into the hangar bay. But it is now forecast to hit the area early on Saturday. Conditions for the game between North Carolina and Michigan State are now predicted to include partly sunny skies and a high temperature of 69 degrees — pretty much perfect for outdoor basketball. The impressive transformation of the Carl Vinson’s flight deck to a basketball arena appears to be almost complete, as you can see…
From the Raleigh (N.C.) News and Observer: North Carolina players and coaches talk about their connections to the military and what it means to be a part of the game: From the Lansing (Mich.) State Journal: Michigan State senior Austin Thornton’s brother, a second lieutenant based at Camp Pendleton, Calif., will watch his brother play at the Quicken Loans Carrier Classic.
The first college basketball game to ever be played on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier will happen on Friday. Well, maybe not. A storm could hit San Diego on game day, which would force the Quicken Loans Carrier Classic to be played in the Carl Vinson’s hangar deck. Weather.com says there’s a 50 percent chance of rain on Friday, and they’re also saying that the high temperature will be 62 degrees. Making things even worse for the players, there’s also supposed to be 10mph winds that could gust to significantly higher speeds. As you can see in the gallery below,…
The Michigan State and North Carolina men’s basketball teams will wear school-color camouflage-style uniforms to honor the military during the Quicken Loans Carrier Classic on Veterans Day aboard the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson in San Diego. On Monday, the Spartans showed off the camouflage-patterned unis they’ll wear — white with a light green pattern and bordered with the school’s traditional dark green. North Carolina’s design, unveiled Oct. 26, will feature a deep blue camouflage pattern over the traditional Carolina blue. Neither team will have player names on the back of the jerseys. Replacing the names will…
It’s not a huge surprise, but it’s official now: The North Carolina Tar Heels will be ranked No. 1 in the nation when they play Michigan State in the Quicken Loans Carrier Classic on Nov. 11 in San Diego. The USA Today / ESPN Top 25 Coaches Poll was released today, and UNC got 30 out of 31 first-place votes. UNC is loaded this year, and the sailors and other service members watching the Carrier Classic will be seeing some future NBA players go after it on the Carl Vinson. The Tar Heels return all five starters from last season…
