Alabama basketball and three-fourths of what’s left of the NCAA Tournament are in Phoenix awaiting Saturday’s games. The defending national champions, however, remain home, at least for now.

UConn is currently in Storrs, Connecticut, dealing with travel issues, delaying its travel to Wednesday night. ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported the Huskies will arrive in Arizona around 2 a.m. Pacific.

Huskies head coach Dan Hurley is scheduled to join the Tide’s Nate Oats at 12:15 p.m. PT for a joint interview before players run a media gauntlet through the afternoon. Tip-off for Alabama’s first-ever Final Four game is approximately 5:49 p.m. PT (7:49 Central) on Saturday, April 6.

UConn has yet to fly this postseason. The Big East Tournament, which it captured with a win over Marquette, was in New York’s Madison Square Garden. UConn spent its initial weekend of the big dance in Brooklyn and continued its winning streak in Boston’s TD Garden.

The NCAA handles travel for tournament teams. Alabama arrived Tuesday night, the first team to get into town. Hurley detailed its recent complications to Matt Norlander of CBS Sports.

Per Norlander, UConn’s expected flight crew was delayed Wednesday night due to mechanical issues. Upon arriving, the crew had hit its maximum hours allotted by FAA guidelines. With no backup crew available, UConn was left without an immediate path to Phoenix and State Farm Stadium. But, according to Thamel, the Huskies will continue a long day with an approximately 11 p.m. Eastern departure.

UConn struggled with travel last month. It took the Huskies nearly 24 hours en route from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, after a road game at Marquette. The delays have yet to impact UConn, though. Its 11-game winning streak is the longest nationally and it won its last two NCAA Tournament outings by a combined 55 points.

Alabama is playing its best basketball of the year with role players taking turns starring alongside Mark Sears. The Tide practiced at Grand Canyon University’s facility, the team it beat in the Round of 32, on Wednesday.

Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at [email protected].