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Final-Four-bound UConn men encountered long travel delay, arrived in Phoenix in the wee hours

The UConn men’s basketball team made it to the Final Four with four one-sided victories in the East Regional. But qualifying is one thing; getting to Phoenix was no easy task.

The Huskies, who have had a string of travel nightmares, were stuck on campus waiting out a 5 1/2 hour delay in their flight to Arizona Wednesday night before a plane was made available. Once on board, they were delayed another two hours, due to minor mechanical issues and the need to de-ice the plane, and finally took off just past 1:30 a.m. Thursday. The landed in Phoenix 3:14 a.m. Pacific time, 6:14 a.m. Eastern. It is likely their schedule of practices and press conferences will have to be adjusted, and they lose time to get acclimated to the time difference.

On the ground in AZ 🌵#MadeForMarch | #MixForSix pic.twitter.com/X4WfcWncPI

— UConn Men's Basketball (@UConnMBB) April 4, 2024

The Huskies play Alabama at 8:49 p.m. Saturday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.

“What goes through your mind, once you’re done complaining and cursing and muttering,” coach Dan Hurley said, during his press conference late Thursday afternoon, “you just start saying to yourself, ‘you don’t really deserve to show entitlement.’ Such an honor to get a chance, once-in–lifetime experience to play in a final four, that kind of edge wears off. Who doesn’t have problems with the airlines?”

The NCAA handles travel arrangements for the tournament.

“Due to mechanical issues with the original aircraft,” read a statement released by the NCAA at 9 p.m. Wednesday, “UConn men’s basketball team is experiencing a delay and is now projected to depart at approximately 11:30 p.m. ET. 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.”

Wheels not up…

— Dan Hurley (@dhurley15) April 4, 2024

The other semifinalists, Alabama, NC State and Purdue, were all on the ground in Phoenix earlier on Wednesday. The Huskies, after their afternoon send-off, went for a team dinner with plans to take off from Bradley at 6 p.m. The plane to take them was coming from Kansas City, as first reported by  CBSSports.com’s Matt Norlander, but logistical and mechanical issues with the plane kept it on the ground there. The flight crew was over its hours limit.

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

A smaller plane was considered, which would have required a fueling stop. Or if they waited for the plane from Kansas City, they could not have left until 10 a.m. Thursday. The red-eye route was settled upon.

“The delays were the result of an unfortunate set of circumstances,” the NCAA said in a statement after the Huskies landed safely.

The players’ media obligations were cancelled Thursday, they were allowed to sleep in and just had a light afternoon practice, about an hour and 15 minutes. Hurley was able to look back and show a sense of humor about it all on Thursday. But waiting the additional two hours on the tarmac were tough on the tightly-wound coach, who posted on X at 1:05 a.m. “wheel’s not up” as if frustrated.

“I ruminated a lot,” Hurley said. “I spiraled. I had my head in my hands a lot. It was a real mindful exercise from 11:30 to like 1:45 a.m. on the tarmac. It was therapeutic to watch the de-icing out the window. That was probably the best part of it.”

Last year at the West Regional, the team found its hotel arrangements in Las Vegas inadequate and had to move during the stretch. During the last week of the regular season, the UConn traveling party was stranded in Milwaukee due to problems with the plane after playing Marquette, with a quick-turnaround before playing at Providence.

None of these past problems, of course, have affected UConn’s on-court performance. The No.1 overall seed in the Field of 68, the Huskies played their first- and second-round games in Brooklyn, the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 games in Boston, both sides within driving distance.

Last year, the Huskies were flown to the Final Four in Houston on a jet owned by the Patriots. That was not an option this time, a school spokesman said, because the Patriots have since terminated their agreement with Eastern Airlines.

“Listen,” Hurley said. “These guys were getting in a van, driving 14 hours (to AAU events) and playing two hours later. There are no excuses. We’re in the Final Four here, man, with a chance to make history. We’re way past that stuff.”