Michigan State Basketball to Take on Gonzaga on an Aircraft Carrier – Details Revealed
The Michigan State Spartans and Gonzaga Bulldogs will play each other in the Armed Forces Classic on the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, in San Diego Bay. The game will be broadcast on ESPN. Local tip-off time is expected to be in the late afternoon.
This will mark the second time the Spartans have played aboard an aircraft carrier. The last time was against North Carolina on Veterans Day in 2011 as part of the Carrier Classic aboard the USS Carl Vinson.
“I know our players, coaches and staff, and all of Michigan State Athletics are very excited about the opportunity to play a tremendous program like Gonzaga on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln while honoring all of those who serve in our military,” Michigan State head basketball coach Tom Izzo said in a statement. “This game is big for our program, for Michigan State University and for the Big Ten Conference. This opportunity to play on an aircraft carrier in front of the men and women who willingly put their lives on the line will be an experience that is going to mean something to the young men who will play in the game for a long, long time.”
He added, “I said it the time in 2011 when we played North Carolina on the deck of the USS Carl Vinson — one of the most humbling experiences of my career, and I’ll say it again, we’re going to play one of the top teams in the country and we’re going to be hosted by the No. 1 team in the world.”