ABOARD THE USS CARL VINSON -- There's nothing unusual about a North Carolina basketball season that ends in New Orleans. Many have ended very well there, where the Final Four will be held this season. That's the goal for the Tar Heels, the preseason No. 1 team in the country.
No season has ever had this kind of beginning, aboard an aircraft carrier docked in San Diego Bay, outdoors under the night sky, a Veterans Day celebration of service and basketball alike.
With President Obama watching from midcourt Friday, the Tar Heels not only joined with Michigan State to honor those who serve, but served notice that their preseason ranking is entirely deserved with a 67-55 win in the inaugural Carrier Classic.
From the moment a pair of F-18s flew over the carrier to conclude the national anthem, the atmosphere was as electric as it was unique. North Carolina coach Roy Williams and his coaching staff wore combat boots and fatigues, and players from both teams in camouflage jerseys with "USA" on the back instead of their names. Everything about the environment highlighted the point of the game.
"We love you every day for what you do," Williams said afterward.
"Thank you for making this a great night for all of us."
In addition to the President, dignitaries and celebrities ranging from the Secretary of the Navy to former North Carolina star Tyler Hansbrough to model/actress Brooklyn Decker joined thousands of uniformed servicemen and women and wounded veterans. With no cheerleaders and no pep bands, a Navy band played fight songs from both schools.
Amid all the pomp and circumstance, there was a basketball game, an unusual and unprecedented one. The unique site made for difficult conditions, with the breeze freshening and temperature dropping in the second half.
Both teams struggled from the field and the free-throw line, with the funky shooting background and lights shining in their eyes. The usually reliable Harrison Barnes missed his first two free throws on his way to a game-high 17 points.
"It was different," Barnes said. "Those first two free throws I had, the depth perception and seeing myself in the background, I said, 'Do I need to pull my elbow in? Where's the hoop at?' It was a little different."
Michigan State closed to within 10 points with less than six minutes to play, but that was as close as the Spartans would get as Barnes answered with a 3-pointer out of a North Carolina timeout. The Tar Heels' John Henson added 12 points and Dexter Strickland 10. Kendall Marshall and Strickland combined for 10 assists.
Expectations for this team are stratospheric, with comparisons to the
2005 and 2009 championship teams all too frequent. Friday's performance, under somewhat less than ideal conditions - not that anyone was complaining - underlined why. There were flaws, with rebounding and late-game situations both requiring work, but it's still early.
"We can make some bonehead plays, but we can make some good ones as well," Williams said. "I loved our competitiveness."
With their first victory of the season in hand, the Tar Heels collected the 87-pound pewter trophy constructed by Newport News Shipbuilding - the same people who built the Carl Vinson itself - then headed for their hotel and the airport, on their way back east for a game against UNC-Asheville on Sunday. There's no time to rest.
After a historic night on an aircraft carrier that has seen its share of history, the basketball season moves on, as it always does. However this season ends for the Tar Heels, they'll never forget how it began.
