STORRS, Conn.—Defending NCAA men’s basketball champion Connecticut’s trip to a second consecutive Final Four is having a tough time getting off the ground.
The Huskies were still in Connecticut on Wednesday night after the airplane they were supposed to take to Arizona experienced mechanical issues getting to the East Coast, a person with the university who was supposed to be on the flight told The Associated Press.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of a lack of authorization to discuss the matter publicly.
The flight was originally scheduled to leave at about 6 p.m. Eastern time.
UConn was having a hard time finding a replacement flight because of bad weather on the East Coast and regulations involving rest for the flight crew, which would not allow the original crew to leave before 10 a.m. Thursday.
The travel problems were first reported to Matt Norlander of CBS Sports, who was told of the issue by Coach Dan Hurley.
The Huskies were working on contingencies but were not expected to leave for the Final Four before about 1 a.m. at the earliest, the university official said.
The delays could affect UConn’s scheduled media obligations on Thursday afternoon.
UConn, the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed, is scheduled to play Alabama in Glendale, Ariz., outside Phoenix, on Saturday night. The other national semifinal will match North Carolina State and Purdue.
