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First scheduled to depart Wednesday at 6 p.m.
ET for Phoenix, the defending national champions were
anticipating arriving 11 hours later.
"Due to mechanical issues with the original aircraft, UConn
men's basketball team is experiencing a delay and is now
projected to depart at approximately 11:30 p.m. ET," the NCAA
said in a statement to Stadium. "In conjunction with the school
and charter airlines, the NCAA worked to develop several options
for travel alternatives to Phoenix. We are very disappointed
that UConn will arrive later than anticipated and it's
unfortunate the team's travel experience has been impacted."
UConn coach Danny Hurley confirmed the delay of the team charter
to CBS Sports on Wednesday night.
NC State arrived Wednesday night, one day behind Purdue and
UConn's Final Four opponent, Alabama.
Because of the pending arrival of the Huskies, an adjusted
schedule for Thursday was under consideration.
The original aircraft scheduled to be flown from Kansas City
never got off the ground because of mechanical issues and crew
scheduling conflicts, per CBS.
A smaller charter was secured from a different location, but
that caused significant modifications to the size of the
traveling party with the Huskies. According to multiple reports,
the arrival time of the plane would be roughly 5 a.m. ET. That
could include a stop to refuel due to the size of the plane.
The NCAA coordinates travel for teams to the Final Four site.
This is the first time UConn (35-3) was required to travel by
plane in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
The Huskies were transported by bus to the first- and
second-round site in New York and to the regional semifinal and
final in Boston last week.
--Field Level Media
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