Dan Hurley's UConn Stranded Without A Flight To Arizona After Technical Problems With Plane
The UConn men's basketball team got screwed out of their flight to Arizona for the Final Four this week.
Dan Hurley must be pissed. But why did UConn leave so late?
All eyes drew to the No. 1 overall Huskies on Wednesday afternoon after a CBS Sports report revealed that the UConn team was set to travel to Glendale but was significantly delayed due to "logistical and mechanical issues" with the aircraft.
The plane was set to take off from Kansas City. Now, it is in serious danger of being delayed until Thursday morning due to the FAA's (Federal Aviation Administration) operating hours.
Uconn coach Dan Hurley (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
"The issue for UConn (among many) is the crew flying the plane from KC would be over their FAA hours and can’t fly UConn immediately to Arizona," CBS Sports' Matt Norlander reported.
You'd feel bad for UConn until you ask why the Huskies left late for Arizona.
N.C. State arrived early Wednesday, while Alabama and Purdue arrived on Tuesday.
Either way, the Huskies will make it out to Glendale for a Final Four matchup against Alabama (4) on Saturday night at State Farm Stadium.
OutKick's Trey Wallace, via phone, noted that the Huskies could take a charter flight to Arizona late Wednesday to bypass the wait. Other reports suggested UConn could depart as late as Thursday morning. In all likelihood, Dan Hurley could do anything in his power to avoid that truncated timeline to the Final Four.
UConn is scheduled to appear for several media sessions starting at 12:15 p.m. (CT). The Huskies will then practice from 12:40 p.m. to 2:10 p.m. before continuing with the media sessions.
The Huskies are one game away from the March Madness championship game, slated for Monday in Glendale.
Nate Oats' Alabama team is expected to give the Huskies a rough time after two impressive wins to reach their first Final Four in Crimson Tide history.
The NCAA released a statement, relayed by the great John Fanta:
"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. 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."
Follow OutKick's Trey Wallace as he covers the action in Arizona this weekend.
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