UConn men's team delayed to Final Four after plane issues - ESPN

The UConn men's basketball team is leaving for the Final Four in Arizona late Wednesday night after a confluence of issues delayed its trip out of Connecticut.

The team's departure was pushed to 11:30 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday because of mechanical issues, the NCAA said in a statement. UConn's flight was originally scheduled to leave at about 6 p.m. ET.

«In conjunction with the school and charter airlines, the NCAA worked to develop several options for travel alternatives to Phoenix,» the NCAA said.

The mechanical issues led to crew staffing issues, sources told ESPN's Pete Thamel. Also, the mechanical issues made it difficult to secure a plane large enough to accommodate the team's travel party, sources told Thamel.

The team expects to arrive in Arizona around 2 a.m. Pacific time Thursday and break up its party to bring people to the Final Four on later flights, with players and coaches taking priority to arrive first, sources told Thamel.

«We are very disappointed that UConn will arrive later than anticipated and it's unfortunate the team's travel experience has been impacted,» the NCAA said.

Along with NC State, Purdue and Alabama, UConn is scheduled to have media availability, practice and other obligations in Glendale, Arizona on Thursday. The NCAA is expected to explore a modification of UConn's schedule to factor in the team's late arrival, sources told Thamel.

CBS Sports first reported on UConn's travel delay.

The Huskies are attempting to become the first program to win back-to-back national titles since Florida in 2006 and 2007.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.