Rutgers coach Mike Rice said there was a discussion on the bus ride to Storrs about which conference had the best backcourts.

Big East, no contest, Rice insisted.

On Sunday, he got a look at one of the league’s finest  in Shabazz Napier, Ryan Boatright and Omar Calhoun.

Napier, still dealing with the left shoulder contusion suffered against Louisville, hit two huge 3-pointers to open up a seven-point lead late in the second half.

After struggling versus Pittsburgh, Napier was back to his old self: 19 points, six assists, five rebounds and a trio of shot-clock buzzer-beaters.

“The game is slow to him,” Rice said. “When he wants to go fast, he goes fast. When he wants to get a shot, he gets a shot. He doesn’t rush things. From last year, he has really matured in his approach and how he runs his team.”

Other notes, quotes and links from Sunday:

*My column: Can UConn get to 20 wins?

*Aside from Jerome Seagears (career-best 21 points), Rutgers was downright dreadful offensively. I’m talking 14-for-41 from the field and 1-for-11 from 3 dreadful.

*Niels Giffey gave the Huskies a lift defensively. His 3-point play in the early second half broke a 32-32 tie and injected some energy into a flat UConn squad.

“When I look up ‘versatility’ in the dictionary, I see Niels Giffey’s picture by it,” Ollie said. ” I call on him to play the 3, the 4, 2, 1. He just steps up and does it.”

*DeAndre Daniels became aggressive late in the second half. He finished with 13 points and seven boards. Now, it’s a matter of doing it again.

“We were plus-four on the backboards, which I love to see, and we held them under 40 percent, which I love to see,” Ollie said. ” So that’s improvement. Now we have to be consistent, and start stringing it together.”

UConn snapped its first two-game losing streak of the season with a 66-54 victory over Rutgers Sunday afternoon at the XL Center.

STAR OF THE GAME: Shabazz Napier, still bothered by a left shoulder contusion, was efficient throughout, totaling 19 points, five rebounds and six assists. The 6-foot-1 junior buried a 3-pointer from the right wing to give UConn a 38-32 lead with just over eight minutes remaining, and then quickly added another to extend the Huskies’ lead to seven.

KEY TO THE WIN: Aside from a career-best 21 points from Jerome Seagears, Rutgers was dreadful offensively. Take Seagears out of the equation and the Scarlet Knights were 12-for-38 from the floor and 1-for-10 from 3-point range.

*DeAndre Daniels scored four points — a putback layup and a dunk off a steal — in six seconds to give UConn a 52-43 lead with 3:58 left. Ryan Boatright added a leaner with 2:20 that opened up an 11-point lead and essentially sealed the deal. Daniels finished with 13 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

*Rutgers, fueled by some hot 3-point shooting, went on a 10-0 spurt early in the second half to claim a 30-28 advantage. UConn administered a late 10-0 run of its own that clinched the win.

*A solid defensive effort—coupled with some inept Scarlet Knights offense—held Rutgers to four points over a nine-and-a-half minute span in the first half.

UConn took a 27-20 lead into halftime behind nine points and five rebounds from Shabazz Napier, who seems a bit more comfortable with his injured left shoulder than he did a week ago.

The Huskies held Rutgers to just four points over a nine-and-a-half minute span.

UConn (12-5, 2-3 Big East) played two guards — an atypical look — throughout the first half, which allowed DeAndre Daniels to move to the perimeter. He responded with seven points.

Ryan Boatright committed two charges in the first half and sat for the final 7:42. Rutgers guard Jerome Seagears, who buried two early 3s, led the Scarlet Knights with eight points.

After an eight day layoff, UConn looks to snap a two-game skid when it hosts Rutgers this afternoon.

Stats, rosters and links are below.

*In Sunday’s Hearst Connecticut Newspapers, we took a look at the UConn’s glory days in the Big East and its future in a mid-major conference.

*Big East at a glance

WHEN: Today, 2 p.m

WHERE: XL Center

RECORDS: Rutgers 12-6 (3-4 Big East); UConn 12-5 (2-3)

ON THE AIR: SNY (Kevin Connors, Tim Welsh); WTIC 1080 (Joe D’Ambrosio, Wayne Norman)

LINE: UConn by 9½

UP NEXT: Thursday at Providence

RUTGERS

Jerome Seagears, G, 6-0 Soph.: 6.2 ppg, 3.3 apg as starter

Myles Mack, G, 5-9 Soph.: 51.3 FG % and Big East-best 93.5 FT %

Eli Carter, G, 6-2 Soph.: 10th in Big East with 15.6 ppg

Dane Miller, G/F, 6-6 Sr.: 985 career pts

Wally Judge, F, 6-9 R-Jr.: 7.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg

Mike Poole, G, 6-5 Jr.: 7.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg over past 5 games

Austin Johnson, F/C, 6-9 Sr.: 7.5 ppg when coming off bench

Kadeem Jack, F, 6-9 R-Soph.: Career-high 13 rebs vs. Syracuse

UCONN

Shabazz Napier, G, 6-0 Jr..: 8 pts, 3 rebs, 2 assists vs. Pitt

Ryan Boatright, G, 5-10 Soph.: 20 pts vs. Pitt

Omar Calhoun, G, 6-5 Fr.: 34 pts in past 2 games

DeAndre Daniels, F, 6-8 Soph.: 0 rebs in 20 mins vs. Pitt

Tyler Olander, F, 6-9 Jr.: 5.1 ppg, 4 rpg

Enosch Wolf, C, 7-1 Jr.: 0 rebs in 14 mins vs. Pitt

Niels Giffey, F, 6-7 Jr.: Already surpassed reb total from last season

R.J. Evans, G, 6-3 R-Sr.: 3-for-14 FT this season

Phil Nolan, F, 6-9 Fr.: Has not scored in Big East play

STORY LINES

NAPIER’S SHOULDER: Almost two weeks after he suffered a left shoulder contusion against Louisville, Shabazz Napier doesn’t seem to be 100 percent. He was a full participant in Friday’s practice, but didn’t take part in box-out drills Saturday. Barring anything unforeseen, he’s expected to play this afternoon.

“If it’s pain he can play through, he’s got to fight through it,” said UConn coach Kevin Ollie. “If you’re on the court, I don’t want any excuses. If you’re out there, we want you to go 100 percent, and if you can’t we’ll take you out.”

A MIRROR IMAGE: Like UConn, Rutgers plays three guards and an undersized four-man, 6-foot-6 senior Dane Miller. Myles Mack, a a 5-foot-9 sophomore, is connecting on a remarkable 51 percent of his field goal attempts, the best rate of any Big East guard.

THE 1,000 POINT CLUB: Napier will be honored prior to this afternoon’s tip for hitting the 1,000-point mark. He’s the 47th player in program history to hit quadruple-figures. Napier, a junior, needs 18 points to surpass Jeremy Lamb for No. 42 on UConn’s all-time scoring list.

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