EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Victor Cruz has had a season full of improbable moments, and the Super Bowl is set to be another.

In less than six months, the obscure second-year wide receiver from the University of Massachusetts has set a single-season receiving record for the Giants and become one of the most popular athletes in the New York area.

Now when Cruz catches a pass the crowd screams “Cruuuuuuuu-uuzzzzzz!” When he scores a touchdown, he draws cheers with his celebratory salsa. People even mimic his dance moves in the stands.

When the Giants (12-7) face the Patriots (15-3) in the Super Bowl on Feb. 5, Cruz will get a chance to face New England safety James Ihedigbo — who served as his recruiting host when he visited UMass four years ago.

Ihedigbo exchanged text messages with Cruz before the Patriots defeated the Baltimore Ravens 23-20 in the AFC title game and New York edged San Francisco 20-17 in overtime in the NFC championship game, Cruz said Thursday.

“He goes: ‘We’re going to win our game, so I’ll see you in Indy.” I was like: ‘I’ll see you in Indy,’ and here we are.”

Cruz took an unlikely route to NFL stardom.

He grew up in Paterson, N.J., and attracted little interest from major college football programs despite being a star athlete in high school. He attended Bridgton Academy in 2005 while attempting to improve his academic qualifications for UMass.

Once he got to UMass, he was kicked out of school twice because of low grades, but eventually settled in and became an All-American.

Cruz has fond memories of his time at UMass.

“It was a tremendous ride,” he said. “We understand how much of a small school it is, and how little guys get an opportunity to come out of that school.”

What Cruz has done with his opportunity is beyond belief. He missed most of his rookie season with a hamstring injury after making the team as a free agent.

This year has been one eye-opening play after another, including five touchdown passes of at least 68 yards. His 1,536 yards receiving are a single-season team record, along with his seven 100-yard games. His 82 catches in the regular season are tied for the second-most in team history.

“That guy. Yeah, he’s a phenomenal player,” Ihedigbo said Thursday. “He really is. He’s having a terrific year.

“I’ve seen him do it before back in the old days in college and he’s really a terrific player. He’s having a great year, great go-to guy for Eli (Manning), and Eli does a good job getting him the ball, not to mention the handful of playmakers they have across the board on that offense.”

After recently speaking to another Paterson native — Mike Adams of the Browns — Cruz said it is finally sinking in how much has changed for him this year. Adams has played in the NFL for 11 years and has never made the playoffs.

“That really says a lot about how fortunate I am just to be here,” Cruz said. “For a guy like that, who has paid his dues in this league, and he’s never made it to the postseason, it’s tough. It shows you how tough this league is and how hard it is to win each and every week. I am just a fortunate guy, and it is starting to sink in how rare my story is and how far I have come.”

The big game for Cruz this season was the third one, when he got his first start because Mario Manningham was out with a concussion.

Cruz caught five passes for 110 yards, scoring on touchdowns of 74 and 28 yards.

“It was huge,” Cruz said. “That was my first start and there were questions in the receiver room. I just wanted to come out and prove I could play. I just wanted to make sure I caught everything that came my way, every ball, and I was fortunate enough to do some really positive things. That’s where it really turned my confidence up and my season around.”

Now there is one more game, and Cruz is taking it one day at a time, trying to get prepared for the Patriots.