UConn men's team delayed to Final Four after flight issues, sources say

The UConn men's basketball team is leaving for the Final Four in Arizona late on Wednesday night after a confluence of issues delayed their trip out of Connecticut, sources told ESPN's Pete Thamel.

The team's departure was pushed to 11:30 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday because of mechanical issues, which in turn led to crew issues. Also, the mechanical issues made it difficult to secure a plane large enough to accommodate the team's travel party, sources told Thamel.

UConn's flight was originally scheduled to leave at about 6 p.m. ET.

The team expects to arrive in Arizona around 2 a.m. Pacific time on Thursday and is expected to 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.

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.