Whether it’s a genuine logistical screw-up or a nefarious, multi-armed plot to ensure that the UConn Huskies aren’t in peak physical condition to repeat as national champions at the Final Four, their travel to Glendale, Arizona, hit the snag of all snags. Or several snags.
However you want to articulate it, the UConn men’s hoops team definitely got more than a tad sabotaged on their latest trip.
The NCAA ultimately had to release a statement to explain the whole situation, and ultimately, the Huskies posted a video of their squad exiting the plane around 4 a.m. local time from Arizona. Looks like they touched down sometime around 3:15 a.m.
UConn head coach Dan Hurley was tweeting through the pain as the over-half-a-day travel delay threw a complete wrench in the Huskies’ preparation for their upcoming national semifinal showdown with Alabama.
This might mean the Huskies don’t have to attend to as many media obligations, but nevertheless, you can’t help but see the stark contrast to how the Crimson Tide pulled up to the Final Four. They were the first team to arrive, had zero issues with their flight schedule, had one of their players hamming it up on the plane with in-flight interviews, and got a full practice in right around when UConn’s awful day at the airport began.
Obviously, some UConn supporters are of the belief that the NCAA is trying to sabotage them, or create a little more Final Four drama by delaying the Huskies in transit. I guess I could give some credence to that (if it weren’t such an absurd notion in the first place) for the sole fact that UConn has been annihilating the competition at every turn.
Some Huskies diehards are really bent out of shape, such as this hybrid diehard Swiftie and several others:
But to be honest, the vast majority of the most visible tin foil hatting comes from my former employer. Shout out to Jack Mac, though, for doing some good work to highlight how UConn will indeed be at a disadvantage despite their travel problem being multiple days out from Saturday’s game.
El Pres is a little less subtle in his conspiratorial accusations toward the NCAA.
I don’t think this will have much bearing on UConn’s hopes to repeat as national champs. They’re so damn good, and built so tough under the culture the players and Hurley have established that they should be able to handle whatever comes their way.
The latest lines from DraftKings still have the Huskies as an 11.5-point favorite over Alabama. Rightfully so. Star Tide guard Mark Sears is about the only player who should really scare UConn fans.
Whether they face Purdue’s Zach Edey or the DJ Burns-led NC State Cinderellas in the national title game, they have studly sophomore center Donovan Clingan to shut those big men down, or at least contain them enough to get the job done.
