STORRS, Conn. >> Defending national champion UConn had a tough time getting off the ground on the way to the Final Four.

The Huskies finally took off from from Bradley International Airport near Hartford at about 1:30 a.m. EDT Thursday after the plane they were supposed to take experienced mechanical issues getting to the East Coast. After the five-hour flight, the team was expected to arrive at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix at about 3:30 a.m. MST.

The flight was originally scheduled to leave Wednesday at about 6 p.m. EDT, but a mechanical issue kept the plane that was supposed to used from arriving at Bradley, the school said.

The NCAA said in a statement that it worked with UConn and a charter company to develop several alternatives.

“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.

The organization said it expected the delayed flight to leave at 11:30 p.m., but at 1 a.m. Eastern, coach Dan Hurley took to social media to say the plane had not taken off.

The travel problems were first reported by CBS Sports, which was told of the issue by coach Dan Hurley.

The Huskies had not been on a plane since just after their March 6 game with Marquette, when they had to spend an extra day in Milwaukee because of a cancelled flight.

The Huskies took buses to the Big East Tournament in Manhattan, the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament in Brooklyn and the East Regional in Boston.

No. 1 seed UConn (35-3) is scheduled to play fourth-seeded Alabama (25-11) on Saturday night.