The UConn Huskies men's basketball team is stranded in Storrs, Conn.
The plane the NCAA arranged for the Huskies was delayed on its way to Connecticut from Kansas City. The Huskies will not depart from Connecticut until close to midnight on Wednesday night/Thursday morning. The plane was originally scheduled to depart at 6 p.m. ET.
"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 statement read. "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."
The original plane that was set to arrive from Kansas City has been canceled. The issue, according to CBS Sports Matt Norlander, is that the crew flying the plane would go over the hours allowed by FAA regulations if it flew directly to Arizona after landing in Connecticut. That would have left UConn stranded for the night and on that plane in the morning.
BREAKING: UConn does not have a plane to fly to Arizona at the moment, Dan Hurley tells @CBSSports. Was supposed to take off at 6 ET, logistical/mechanical issues with the plane coming in from Kansas City forced significant delays. NCAA handles all trace for NCAAT. More …
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) April 3, 2024
According to reports, the NCAA was able to acquire a different plane that was coming in from Cincinnati. That plane is smaller and UConn had shrink its travel party. But it appears the Huskies will be able to get to Arizona early Thursday morning. All three of the other teams in the Final Four are already in Arizona.
The plane from Cincinnati is set to depart at 11:40 p.m. ET, but could need a fuel stop along the way depending on the weight of the plane.
UConn was around a 12-point favorite over Alabama as of Wednesday morning at most sportsbooks. That line has moved slightly at some books since the travel news, but it is unclear whether the two are correlated. UConn is an 11.5-point favorite at Fanatics, DraftKings and FanDuel.
This will likely add more fuel to the fire for head coach Dan Hurley, who has already gone on record and shown discontent with the way the NCAA has treated the No. 1 overall seed throughout the tournament.
