Just how formidable has the St. John’s – UConn rivalry become? That depends on who you ask.

Sure, the schools have taken turns dominating the Big East over the past two seasons.

Yes, the head-to-head meetings between Rick Pitino ’s Red Storm and Dan Hurley’s Huskies have frequently gone down to the wire.

And no doubt, the programs appear to be on a collision course this year, with the AP preseason poll ranking St. John’s (No. 5) and UConn (No. 4) only one spot apart .

But Pitino isn’t ready to deem the upcoming battles with UConn any bigger than the rest of his Big East bouts.

“I don’t consider Connecticut any more of a rival than Villanova or Providence or Marquette or Creighton or any of them,” Pitino said Tuesday during the Big East’s media day at Madison Square Garden. “I

See Full Page