Houston — There’s a chill vibe with this UConn basketball team.

The Huskies have handled every step along their March Madness journey with a cool and calm manner.

They’re even treating a national championship semifinal showdown against fifth-seeded Miami (29-7) as just another game, which seems impossible given the stage and what’s at stake Saturday at NRG Stadium.

Their big game jitters will disappear by the 8:49 p.m. start time.

“Once the game starts, we’re just going to treat it like any other game that we played this season,” redshirt freshman Alex Karaban said from inside the UConn locker room Friday. “We’ll just be super excited to play.”

It’s hard to argue about fourth-seeded UConn’s approach after it won the first four NCAA tourney games by an average of 22.5 points.

The Huskies (29-8) are a confident bunch.

“We all hit our stride,” junior Andre Jackson said. “And we all understand what’s behind it. We know if we lose one game, your season is over. We’re playing with desperation.”

They’re determined to try to do everything possible to add another national championship banner to the walls of the Werth Center in Storrs.

It’s been nine years since that last happened.

“We come to UConn to do big things,” coach Dan Hurley said. “It’s a group that has a lot of confidence right now but has that strong respect for our opponent, Miami. They also have that mentality where we know the quality that we could get to on the court when we’re at our best defensively, rebounding, being the hardest playing team and then moving the ball offensively.

“When you have guys like Andre Jackson, Donovan Clingan, Joey (Calcaterra), (Alex) Karaban and Adama (Sanogo), it’s a live group. They’ve got a great vibe.”

The Hurricanes, the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season co-champions, are pretty darn confident, too, after knocking off No. 1 seed Houston and No. 2 Texas to capture the Midwest Region title.

Miami coach Jim Larranaga has conjured up some postseason magic before against UConn. In the 2006 Elite Eight, he guided 11th-seeded George Mason to a stunning overtime upset of the No. 1 Huskies, whose team had five future NBA Draft picks in the starting lineup.

The backcourt trio of Isaiah Wong (16.1 points), the ACC player of the year, Jordan Miller (15.4) and Nijel Pack (13.8) will be a handful for the Huskies. Norchad Omier, a 6-foot-7, 248-pound forward, anchors the frontcourt. He averages 13.3 points and 10.1 rebounds per game.

“It’s the greatest defensive challenge we’ve had this year because of the collection of guards,” Hurley said. “And then the best rebounding center that we’ve seen. We’ve got to force them to beat us more from the perimeter over the top. We can’t allow them to get to the rim. … We’ve got to keep them out of transition.”

UConn has ridden a stingy defense to this point, allowing four NCAA tourney opponents to convert just 35.4% from the field and score an average of 59.3 points.

“The type of pressure and defense that we put on people is overwhelming if you haven’t seen it all year,” senior Tristen Newton said. “That’s what we’re going to try to do tomorrow, play great defense and shock them with how hard we play.”

The Huskies will have an edge inside where junior Adama Sanogo and back-up Donovan Clingan have combined to average 26.8 points and 15.1 rebounds.

There’s the question about the health of UConn sophomore Jordan Hawkins, who missed Friday’s open practice at NRG Stadium due to a non-COVID illness. While Hurley expects that Hawkins will play, the team’s best perimeter weapon may not be at 100%.

If the Huskies are worried about Hawkins’ status, they certainly didn’t show it Friday.

They remain as cool and confident as ever.

They’re prepared for another game in the March Madness pressure-cooker.

“It’s just the personalities that we have on this team,” Karaban said. “We like the bright lights and we like the spotlight. And I think we rise to the occasion. … We definitely love this spotlight.”

Their toughest challenge leading up to game time on Saturday may be waiting around.

“We’re all really excited and can’t wait to take the court,” Jackson said. “The hours leading up to it will be suspenseful, honestly. You’re going to be waiting and it’s one of the biggest stages that we’ve ever played on.

“So, I can’t wait.”

g.keefe@theday.com

UConn vs. Miami

Location: NRG Stadium, Houston

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

Records: No. 4 UConn 29-8, No. 5 Miami 29-7

Last game: UConn beat Gonzaga, 82-54, in the West Region Elite Eight on Saturday; Miami defeated Texas, 88-81, in the Midwest Region Elite Eight on Sunday

Probable starters, UConn, 6-5 sr. guard Tristen Newton, 6-5 so. guard Jordan Hawkins, 6-6 jr. guard Andre Jackson, 6-8 r-fr. forward Alex Karaban, 6-9 jr. forward Adama Sanogo

Miami, 6-4 jr. guard Isaiah Wong (16.2 pts, 4.4 rebs, 3.2 assists), 6-0 so. guard Nijel Pack (13.8 pts, 2.7 rebs), 6-5 so. guard Wooga Poplar (8.7 pts, 3.3 rebs), 6-7 sr. guard Jordan Miller (15.4 pts, 6.1 rebs), 6-7 so. forward Norchad Omier (13.3 pts, 10.1 rebs)

Noteworthy: In five previous trips to the Final Four, UConn is 4-1 in national semifinal games. First-ever trip to the Final Four for Miami. … Series: UConn leads 17-8, winning last meeting 80-55 in the 2019 Charleston (S.C.) Classic. … Top reserve: 6-2 so. guard Bensley Joseph (5.2 pts, 2.1 rebs). … Hot: Huskies shooting 49.6% in four NCAA tourney games. Cold: UConn holding tourney opponents to 35.4% from the field. … Texas success: UConn has won three national championships playing in Texas, beating Kentucky in 2014 in North Texas, Butler in 2011 in Houston and Georgia Tech in 2004 in San Antonio. …. Huskies won all 15 games vs. nonconference foes, all by double digits. … Up next: Winner plays either Florida Atlantic or San Diego State in the national championship game on Monday night.

– Gavin Keefe