NEW YORK -- The rivalry between Rick Pitino and Dan Hurley - between St. John’s and UConn - has been building for several years.

And now it appears ready to shift into high gear during the upcoming college basketball season.

UConn is ranked No. 4 in the AP Preseason Poll, one notch ahead of No. 5 St. John’s.

But Big East coaches gave Pitino and the Red Storm the nod as slight favorites to win the Big East regular-season title over Hurley and UConn on Tuesday.

The two teams will meet at least twice this season - Feb. 6 at Madison Square Garden and Feb. 25 in Hartford - and could meet again in the Big East Tournament and possibly the NCAA Tournament.

“There’s certainly a nastiness to when we’re going to play St John’s, but I don’t think it’s like, disrespectful,” Hurley, who won ba

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