This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
San Diego • Organizers say it's all but certain that the Michigan State-North Carolina basketball game on Veterans Day will be played aboard the USS Carl Vinson, the aircraft carrier that carried Osama bin Laden's body to a burial at sea.
The Carl Vinson returned from its deployment Wednesday to Coronado, across the bay from San Diego.
Mike Whalen of the Morale Entertainment Foundation told The Associated Press that 40 to 50 people from his group, ESPN, the Navy and vendors will be at the ship on Monday and Tuesday for a site survey. A briefing for civic leaders and the media is planned for Monday evening.
"Now that the Carl Vinson is back safe and sound and America is now well-aware of the important mission that was tasked to the Carl Vinson, we find it to be a source of pride that this ship will make history twice in 2011," Whalen said.
The matchup will be the first NCAA hoops game played on a flat top.