NEW YORK — Rick Pitino is looking forward to Thursday’s charity exhibition against Rutgers and thinks it will be a great test for both teams to start the season.

Rutgers will host St. John’s in a game tipping off at Jersey Mike’s Arena at 6:30 PM in the first game of the Dylan Harper/Ace Bailey Era.

“Thursday is obviously a big day for us to see where we are,” Pitino, the Naismith Hall of Fame coach, said Tuesday at St. John’s media day. “We’re playing a Top 25 team.”

“We hope to raise a lot of money for Dick Vitale’s cancer research for children and there is no better place than to play to a sold-out venue on the road to get ready for the season, because Rutgers has a very distinctive and strong home field. advantage and hitting the road right away tells you about your team. It tells you who is mentally tough, who is physically tough, and who is ready for the likes of Baylor and Tennessee, the opener with Fordham, and Georgia, as you head into the Big East.

“So we’re really excited about it and looking forward to seeing what we have.”

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Pitino has coached a host of future NBA players, including Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell at Louisville, but generally hasn’t recruited many one-and-dones during his career.

How good does he think Harper and Bailey – two projected Top-5 NBA lottery picks – can be? We will probably know more about that on Thursday evening.

“I think it’s better to ask John Calipari that question than me,” Pitino said in response to a question from NJ Advance Media. “It’s two top-five draft picks, I haven’t covered that many top-five draft picks yet.

“We know they are very talented, we know they will get better as the season goes on. It’s also good for them to face us because hopefully they will see a strong defense.”

St. John’s point guard Kadary Richmond, who transferred from Seton Hall, was named co-captain of Pitino’s second team at the Big East school.

He knows everything about playing Rutgers from his tenure at The Hall. Last December, Richmond went for 21 points and 9 rebounds as the Pirates lost to Rutgers in the Garden State Hardwood Classic.

“Another game against Rutgers, I’m used to playing against them, so it will be nice to start the season with a nice win,” he said.

Richmond is older than Harper, the former Don Bosco Prep star, and has never played against him but is familiar with his game.

“The projected top-5 is a good thing,” Richmond said of Harper, “so he must be doing something right.”

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Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter covering Seton Hall and NJ college basketball for NJ Advance Media. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamZagoria and check out his website at ZAGSBLOG.com.