Las Vegas – Junior Andre Jackson, the heartbeat of the Huskies, was asked if Gonzaga is the best team that UConn will face this season during media availability on Friday at T-Mobile Arena.

“I mean, who knows?” Jackson said while sitting at his locker. “I plan on getting past them. And I feel like we might be the best team that they’ve seen so far as well.”

This much is definitely true: fourth-seeded UConn (28-8) and No. 3 Gonzaga (31-5) are playing at an elite level heading into Saturday’s NCAA tournament West Region Elite Eight game. Tip-off time is 8:49 p.m. (approximately)

The Huskies are rolling, capturing 12 of their last 14 games, including winning three straight postseason games by double figures.

The surging Bulldogs are 25-2 in their last 27 games.

“This game is definitely going to be a good one,” Jackson said.

Stakes are extremely high for both teams.

UConn will be attempting to reach the Final Four for the sixth time in school history and first in nine years. Gonzaga, a mid-major program that has grown into a national power, is trying to keep alive its quest to win its first national championship. The Bulldogs have a bit of postseason magic going on, as they rallied to beat No. 2 UCLA in Thursday’s Sweet Sixteen.

“UConn presents a lot of problems,” said Gonzaga coach Mark Few, who was an assistant on the staff when the two teams last met in tourney play in the 1999 Elite Eight. “Talking to people, we all feel like they’re playing as good as any team in this tournament right now.

“We know it’s going to be a physical game. Their transition offense is every bit as good as ours. And they have the ability to score inside and outside. And their defense has been top-notch through this tourney.”

Few could have been describing his own team.

With All-American forward Drew Timme leading the charge, the Bulldogs are a complete team. They operate a scary good offense, shooting 52.6 percent from the field and averaging 87 points per game.

The matchup between Timme and UConn junior Adama Sanogo should be fun to watch.

“You’re talking about one of the best big guys to ever play college basketball,” coach Dan Hurley said. “So it’s obviously a tremendous challenge for (Adama) and Donovan (Clingan) and for our entire team.”

While Timme provides the inside firepower, Julian Strawther (15.4 points) is Gonzaga’s primary perimeter threat. The Bulldogs have a strong supporting cast and also pride themselves on their toughness.

UConn’s defense, which has held its first three tourney opponents to under 40 percent shooting, will be severely tested by the nation’s No. 1 offense.

“Our defense will face its greatest challenge,” Hurley said. “They play in a similar way to Xavier, which I don’t know how good of news that is for us because we had trouble guarding them. But they play a very similar offensive style to something that we were able to see twice during the course of the year in terms of their spacing and how they attack you.”

UConn went 0-2 against Xavier this season.

But the Huskies are a different team now.

They’re riding some serious momentum and playing with a razor-sharp focus and steely edge.

They’ve blocked out distractions that come with competing in the postseason and playing at a tournament site like Las Vegas.

And they’ve not let a few bumps in the road – having to change the team’s hotel due to the poor condition of some rooms and having some items stolen from the team bus while at practice – bother them.

“We’ve had some minor inconveniences that we’ve not even thinking about because we’re so joyful about being in Vegas and having an opportunity to go to the Final Four,” Hurley said.

UConn is having too much fun to let its March Madness joy ride end on Saturday.

“We need to lock in,” Jackson said. “We’re in a big spot. We’ve done something that we haven’t done. ... You’ve got to appreciate and just do everything you can to keep it rolling because I don’t want to let go of this. This is something I’ve been waiting for my entire life and something I’ve been praying for my entire life.”

g.keefe@theday.com

No. 4 UCONN vs. No. 3 GONZAGA

Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas

Tip: 8:49 p.m. (TBS)

Records: UConn 28-8, Gonzaga 31-5

Last game: UConn beat No. 8 Arkansas, 88-65, Thursday; Gonzaga defeated No. 2 UCLA, 79-76, Thursday

Probable starters: UConn, 6-5 sr. guard Tristen Newton (9.9 pts, 4.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists), 6-6 jr. guard Andre Jackson (6.8 pts, 6.3 rebs), 6-5 so. guard Jordan Hawkins (16.1 pts, 3.87rebs), 6-8 r-fr. forward Alex Karaban (9.4 pts, 4.4 rebs), 6-9 jr. forward Adama Sanogo (17.3 pts, 7.5 rebs)

Gonzaga, 6-2 so. guard Nolan Hickman (7.9 pts, 2.5 rebs), 6-3 sr. guard Rasir Bolton (10.2 pts), 6-7 jr. guard Julian Strawther (15.4 pts, 6.3 rebs), 6-8 sr. forward Anton Watson (11.3 pts, 6.2 rebs), 6-10 sr. forward Drew Timme (21.5 pts, 7.5 rebs, 3.2 assists)

Noteworthy: UConn won 12 of its last 14, Gonzaga 25-2 in the last 27 games. … Series: UConn trails 3-2, losing last meeting 73-70 on Nov. 27, 2015 in the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas. All five games were decided by five points or less and played at neutral sites. … Common foes: Xavier (UConn 0-2, Gonzaga 1-0), Alabama (UConn 1-0, Gonzaga 1-0), Saint Mary’s (UConn 1-0, Gonzaga 2-1). … Bulldogs shared the West Coast Conference regular season title with Saint Mary’s, which lost to UConn in NCAA second round action. Previous NCAA tourney wins vs. No. 14 Grand Canyon, No. 6 TCU and No. 2 UCLA. … Timme tied the Gonzaga record for most points in a tourney game with 36 vs. UCLA. … Top reserve: 6-4 r-jr. guard Malachi Smith (8.7 pts, 2.7 rebs). … Hot: Sanogo is 33 for 44 from the field in three tourney games. Cold: UConn with 17 turnovers vs. Arkansas. … UConn’s bench has outscored its opposition in three straight games. … West is the Best: UConn has won three national championships (1999, 2004, 2001) and reached the Final Four once (2009) in seven previous West Region journeys. … Huskies 42-11 in last 16 NCAA tourney appearances, 5-6 in previous 11 Elite Eight trips. … UConn 15-0 vs. non-conference foes, winning every game by double digits. … Up next: Winner meets Midwest Region winner in the Final Four Saturday in Houston

– Gavin Keefe