Boston — Dan Hurley is fond of calling his UConn basketball team bulletproof.

What the UConn coach means by that is the Huskies are basically unbeatable if they play up to their elite standard, especially on defense.

The top-seeded Huskies looked invincible in their first two NCAA tournament games, winning by an average of 28 points.

They head into Thursday’s East Region Sweet 16 game against No. 5 seed San Diego State (26-10) with the confidence and swagger of a reigning national champion. Game time is 7:39 p.m. at TD Garden.

The game is a rematch between last year’s national championship combatants in Houston, where UConn posted a 76-59 win.

The Huskies (33-3) are two wins away from going back to the Final Four. They’ll need to continue to be bulletproof to accomplish that feat.

“When I talk about bulletproof, for me the formula is top-10 offense, top-10 defense, be a tremendous rebounding team, be a team that plays with utter desperation in terms of how hard we play and then having the depth to survive a 3-for-22 effort from 3 (against Northwestern),” Hurley said.

“... We shot the ball horribly, but we were bulletproof the other night because of our defense and our passing and our ability to score rim twos. We can win a lot of different types of games.”

UConn is playing a highly-motivated opponent in San Diego State. The Aztecs are driven by a tenacious defense that allows 66.2 points per game and an experienced lineup that features star forward Jaedon LeDee, who is averaging 29 points and 8.4 rebounds in two NCAA tourney games.

A member of the Mountain West Conference, the Aztecs are eager for another shot at the Huskies. Several players are back that tasted defeat, including the starting backcourt of Lamont Butler and Darrion Trammel.

“I know they’re definitely going to be juiced up and amped up,” redshirt sophomore Alex Karaban said. “And they’re super experienced. It’s going to be a tough game and a tough team to play against.”

San Diego State will have something that it didn’t have in last year’s national title game and that’s familiarity with UConn.

The Aztecs know Hurley’s style of play and UConn’s returning players like Tristen Newton who had a team-high 19 points and 10 rebounds in the last meeting.

“They play a lot the same way,” San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher said. “Danny has done an incredible job, so we kind of know what it looks like. We know how hard it is. As much as they ran through the tournament last year, dominated pretty much everybody, we felt with five minutes to go it was a five-point game. We gave ourselves a chance to win.

“And so hopefully tomorrow we’ll do the same thing.”

UConn has yet to trail in an NCAA game this March.

Fast starts have propelled the Huskies to huge leads by halftime.

They’ll also have a home-court advantage, with throngs of Husky fans expected to make the short trip to Boston.

The fan support might make them even more bulletproof.

“I feel like I fight with the best in the country and I think that’s what he meant by that,” freshman Stephon Castle said about Hurley’s bulletproof comments. “Just sticking to what we do. I feel like we can beat any team in the country when we do it.”

g.keefe@theday.com

No. 1 UConn vs. No. 5 San Diego State

Game: NCAA tournament East Region semifinal

Location: TD Garden, Boston

Tip time: 7:39 p.m. (TBS )

Records: UConn (33-3), San Diego State (26-10)

Series: UConn leads 2-0, winning the 2023 national championship game, 76-59, and in the 2011 Sweet 16, 74-67.

Tournament path: UConn beat No. 16 Stetson, 91-52, defeated No. 9 Northwestern, 75-58; San Diego State defeated No. 12 Alabama-Birmingham, 69-65, beat No. 13 Yale, 85-57.

Probable starters, UConn, 6-5 grad guard Tristen Newton (15.3 pts, 6.8 rebs, 6.2 assists), 6-4 grad guard Cam Spencer (14.4 pts, 4.5 rebs), 6-6 fr. guard Stephon Castle (10.8 pts, 4.4 rebs), 6-8 r-so. forward Alex Karaban (13.7 pts, 4.9 rebs), 7-2 so. Center Donovan Clingan (12.8 pts, 7.4 rebs, 2.4 blks)

SDSU, 5-10 sr. guard Darrion Trammel (6.3 pts, 3.7 rebs, 3.2 assists), 6-2 sr. guard Lamont Butler (9.4 pts, 2.6 rebs), 6-6 sr. guard Micah Parrish (9.3 pts, 4.1 rebs), 6-9 sr. forward Jaedon LeDee (21.5 pts, 8.4 rebs), 6-9 sr. forward Jay Pal (5.1 pts, 4.2 rebs)

Noteworthy: UConn is making its 19th Sweet 16 appearance, going 12-6 in previous trips. SDSU has reached this stage four times, including two straight. … Common foes: Gonzaga (UConn won 76-63 Dec. 15, SDSU won 84-74 Dec. 29). … The Aztecs are a defensive-minded team, allowing 66.2 points and scoring 74.7. … LeDee is the only SDSU player with a double figure scoring average.. … Top reserve: 6-6 jr. guard Reese Waters (9.8 pts, 3.7 rebs). … UConn has set an NCAA record with eight straight tournament wins by at least 13 points. … TD Garden is the NBA home of the Boston Celtics. … Hot: Huskies are 33-1 vs. nonconference teams since the start of last season. Cold: NCAA opponents averaging 54 points per game. … UConn last played in Boston in 2007, losing to Gonzaga, 85-82, on Dec. 1, 2007 in the Hartford Hall of Fame Showcase. … UConn needs 13 assists to break the program’s single season record of 684 set last season. … Up next: If UConn wins, it will play either No. 2 Illinois or No. 3 Iowa State Saturday in the regional final.

– Gavin Keefe