Obama, Magic, Decker, Coke, Miller, Lopez, Worthy and a Hoops Game at Sea

Only in America, as they say. Or in this case, on an American ship -- a big one, the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, to be exact.

The ultimate in cross-promotional sports events will unfold this evening as the NCAA takes a cue from the NFL and makes a much bigger deal out of its "opening day" than has been its previous custom. In a 7 p.m. game on ESPN that will pit Michigan State versus No. 1-ranked North Carolina on the custom-made court, there also will be lots of other key tilts and branding opportunities: Former Spartan Magic Johnson vs. former Tar Heel James Worthy. Coaches Izzo vs. Williams. Sponsors Coke Zero vs. Miller High Life. Obama vs. Osama. And Brooklyn Decker vs. -- well, there might not be a match.

The NCAA is really good at ginning up Americans' enthusiasm for basketball in the spring, with March Madness and all. But this represents the college game's biggest attempt yet to turn up the marketing booster rockets beneath a part of the hoops season that typically is pretty limp.

So, President Obama himself will witness the first game of the season in his favorite sport while the NBA and professional basketballers continue to self-destruct in their labor impasse, and it'll be on the ship that happened to dump Osama bin Laden's body into the ocean. The Veterans' Day event on the Carl Vinson, docked off the coast of San Diego, will be dubbed the Quicken Loans Carrier Classic, after the Detroit-based financial-services brand that is its primary sponsor.

Actually, the list of brands and celebrities involved is a lot longer, also including State Farm, eBay, Westwood One, Sears, Mario Lopez, Billy Currington and the upcoming film, Act of Valor, which certainly will get a boost from the setting.

And, of course, there's the U.S. Navy. Not only can it continue to promise recruits to see the world, but now the Navy can suggest to them the possibility of seeing great college hoops and a supermodel live, simultaneously, on their ship. That kind of thing sells itself.