STORRS, Conn. (AP) — Defending national champion UConn struggled to get off the ground en route to the finals. final four.
The Huskies finally took off from Bradley International Airport near Hartford around 1:30 a.m. EDT on Thursday after arriving on the East Coast after their plane suffered mechanical problems. After a five-hour flight, the team was scheduled to arrive at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix around 3:30 a.m. MST.
The plane was originally scheduled to depart around 6 p.m. ET on Wednesday, but mechanical problems prevented the plane from arriving at Bradley, the school said.
The NCAA said in a statement that it has worked with UConn and the charter company to develop several alternatives.
“We are extremely disappointed that UW's arrival is later than expected and regret that the team's travel experience has been affected,” the NCAA said in a statement.
The group had expected the delayed flight to depart at 11:30 p.m. EDT, but at 1 a.m. coach Dan Hurley said on social media: He says the plane hasn't taken off.
The travel issue was first reported by CBS Sports, who were informed of the issue by coach Dan Hurley.
The Huskies have not been on a plane since immediately after the March 6 game against Marquette. His flight was canceled at the time, so he had to spend an extra day in Milwaukee.
The Huskies took the bus to the Big East Tournament in Manhattan, the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament in Brooklyn, and the East Regional in Boston.
Top-seeded University College (35-3) is scheduled to play fourth-seeded University of Alabama (25-11) on Saturday night.
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AP March Madness Bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket And scope of application: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
