Monday, November 12, 2012

Ship Out

Syracuse beat San Diego State in what may be the last college basketball game on an aircraft carrier.
The Orange were led by their slashers, Brandon Triche, Michael Carter-Williams and CJ Fair. Those three shot 20 of 41 for 49 points.
The game was played on the deck of the USS Midway in San Diego. It was originally scheduled for Friday night and was delayed until Sunday afternoon because of the weather forecast which called for wind and rain.
Once the game got going it was really cool to watch. The sun was out, there were shadows on the court, the backdrop was gorgeous.





But I think the elements really hindered both teams. Syracuse made only 1 of 4 3-pointers. They were smart enough not to shoot them. San Diego State shot 1 of 18. Clearly the wind was affecting long range shots. The teams made only 25 of 52 free throws.

But at least they got to play. The two other games on aircraft carriers (Ohio State vs. Marquette on the USS Yorktown in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina and Florida vs. Georgetown on the USS Bataan in Jacksonville, Florida) were both canceled. Florida and Georgetown even played the first half, but couldn't come back after halftime because of moisture on the court.



The aircraft carrier games are a cute novelty and they raise money for worth causes for injured returning soldiers. But after these debacles I think it might be best to hold futures military fundraising basketball games indoors.

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