Michigan State To Wear Camouflage Jerseys For Opener On Aircraft Carrier

EAST LANSING -- Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo confirmed today that his team will wear a special camouflage uniform for its Nov. 11 season opener against North Carolina in the Carrier Classic in San Diego.

"I haven't seen the jerseys yet," Izzo said.

Asked whether they are camouflage, Izzo said: "Supposed to be. I just don't know what they look like."

A TV report by KTVI St. Louis showed what appears to be a stack of camouflage MSU jerseys. The image was caught during a report profiling the company that sewed World Series patches onto the St. Louis Cardinals' jerseys.

The camouflage-patterned jerseys look similar to the 2010-11 home jerseys, and there's speculation that the jerseys -- sandwiched between a home Cardinals jersey and unidentified baby-blue garment -- could be at the Liebe Company for the addition of a commemorative patch for the Carrier Classic.

Izzo said everything that's being done for the game is meant to be a tribute to the military. The game will be played on the deck of the USS Carl Vinson.

"Everything we do will add to it," he said. "It's a big game, of course, but it's a big event."

Izzo said he hopes the players will gain a greater perspective of how important the military is to their lives.

"I think that's the problem right now," Izzo said. "Our young people don't understand who saves their life every day.

"I know when I put the uniform on over in Kuwait (in 2005) it was a pretty awesome feeling."

So what does Izzo plan to wear on Nov. 11?

"It won't be a camouflage suit," he said. "It won't be a suit, either."