CORONADO, Calif. — It was hard to beat the Carrier Classic, even for the team that got beat.

With President Barack Obama watching from courtside, No. 1 North Carolina beat Michigan State 67-55 on Friday night on the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson.

Harrison Barnes scored 17 points and John Henson had 12 points and a career-high nine blocked shots for the Tar Heels..

There was no dejection in the Michigan State locker room after the game, which was conceived by Spartans athletic director Mark Hollis as a way to honor veterans.

“It’s a loss but at the end of the day it’s a win because of what we did,” Draymond Green said

The Carrier Classic featured slam dunks and fast breaks on a court plopped down where jet fighters normally scream into flight.

“It took a while, but at some point you didn’t even realize you were outside until the play slowed down,” Henson said. “It was fun. My excuse was sometimes I felt like the boat moved a little bit when I shot,” Henson joked. “That’s why I missed.”

North Carolina led by double digits from late in the first half on, including 36-25 after Kendall Marshall made two free throws with 44.8 seconds left before halftime.

This game turned out as have recent matchups between the schools. North Carolina has beaten Michigan State six straight times, including in the 2009 national championship game.

The Tar Heels’ biggest lead was 59-38 with 10:42 left before Michigan State closed within 10 points with 5:43 left.

Dexter Strickland had 10 points for North Carolina.

Green scored 13 points and had an unbelievable game on the boards, including 11 defensive rebounds. Michigan State outrebounded the Tar Heels 49-34 but made only 2 of 20 3-pointers.

Branden Dawson and Adreian Payne scored 10 points each for the Spartans.

Green said it was great getting to play in front of the president.

“That was phenomenal,” he said. “It’s not every day anyone gets to do that.”