If you could design your own conference tournament, you probably could not create one better than the Big East’s. Sixteen teams, fifteen games, five days and one historical location all come together to form an event in which winning the whole thing can be more difficult than winning the N.C.A.A. tournament. Connecticut 97, DePaul 71 Rutgers 76, Seton Hall 70, OT South Florida 70, Villanova 69 Marquette 87, Providence 66 As an added bonus, Joe Lunardi and his Bracketology services were not needed to determine the field. I don’t know how you did, but I was able to guess 15 of the 16 teams that made the Big East tournament. I still don’t understand how DePaul sneaked in … There are some obvious characteristics of the Big East tournament that make it undeniably special: New York City, Madison Square Garden, 11 potential N.C.A.A. tournament teams. But there are also a couple of lesser known qualities that add to the allure, especially if you’re a player.

A couple of years ago, when the Big East Conference decided to let all 16 teams play in its tournament, there was one, well, there were two major casualties. Gone were the winning chances of teams without a bye and also the Big East banquet. The only Big East event of the week not televised by an ESPN outlet, the banquet was like prom without dates or dancing – something I like to call … prom. Instead of a respectable girl-to-guy ratio and a dance floor, there was a four-course meal and a free T-shirt, which came in handy as a second napkin.Arena T Shirts Swimming Now, for most of the year players wear jerseys or sweatpants, but the Big East banquet became an annual fashion show. Gun Dogs For Sale ScAnd by fashion show, I mean an evening when you can watch a bunch of 6-foot-8 guys haplessly throw together  semiformal outfits that come nowhere close to fitting. Toilet Bowl Not Filling Up Enough

Ankles or wrists were exposed, and in several unlucky cases both were. That is, unless, you played for Syracuse. Syracuse players are known for their length and 2-3 zone, but that length also may have forced their tailor into early retirement out of sheer frustration. Of the 12 teams that went to the banquet every year, Syracuse was the only team that did not even attempt to “dress up.” (There may be no crying in basketball, but we do play dress-up.) Syracuse must have known that it was not going to be able to find enough proper shirts to cover all of the 7-foot wingspans, so instead the players opted for velour jumpsuits. And, I must say, they looked incredibly comfortable. Looking back, I think it was a psychological move to make the rest of the teams feel awkward. It was akin to showing up to what you thought was a Halloween costume party, and seeing that a small portion of the population realized they weren’t 6, and chose to dress normally. So even though you were in the majority, you realized that the majority might not be a good thing.

Although the banquet no longer takes place, there is still one other off-court aspect of the Big East tournament that remains intact, and that’s the Big East gift. Yes, the players get gifts. One year it was a digital camera. The next it was a PlayStation Portable. Last year it was a Nintendo Wii, and rumors this year point to new iPods. The overriding message coming from the Big East seems to be “don’t study,” although I’m not sure giving everyone a fresh TI-87 calculator would have gone over well. Contrast the Big East tournament gift with the N.C.A.A. and N.I.T. tournament gifts, where every year brings a new watch. Getting the N.C.A.A. watch means that holiday shopping for your grandfather is done. Getting the N.I.T. watch means that every time you look at your wrist, you’ll be reminded that you made the N.I.T. They say time heals all wounds, but in this case time is the wound. If you weren’t expected to make the Big Dance, fine – the Medium Dance will do.

But there’s nothing worse (sportswise and noninjury-related of course) than going to the N.I.T. after having N.C.A.A. tournament expectations. Your fans won’t like you. Your friends won’t like you. Your parents won’t like you. You probably won’t like you. It’s like the previously mentioned prom. The N.C.A.A. is the girl of your dreams. The N.I.T. is your cousin. With the banquet gone but the Big East gifts still in hand, escaping that N.I.T. and its watch should be incentive enough for all of Day 1’s teams to come out with an extra edge. Winning five games in five days will not be easy, but wearing that watch is impossible. You must escape that watch. Zach Hillesland has been a contributor to The Quad since his playing days at Notre Dame. He graduated in 2009. QUEENS, N.Y. – St. John’s forward Kassoum Yakwe (Bamako, Mali) was named to the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team as announced Sunday by the league. Yakwe is the 18th player in program history to receive the honor since the conference was formed in 1979.

The 6-foot-7 freshman averaged 7.1 points and 5.5 rebounds, and led the BIG EAST with 2.7 blocks per game.                                       Yakwe appeared in 25 games for the Red Storm and started the last 15 regular-season contests. He engraved his name in the St. John’s record book with 65 blocks, which are the eight-most for a single season. The swat specialist, who has the 11th-highest blocks average in the nation, delivered four 5+ block performances. Yakwe’s seven blocks versus Marquette on Jan. 24 were the most by a BIG EAST player this season. Only four games into his collegiate career, Yakwe burst onto the scene with a remarkable performance against Syracuse that helped the Red Storm secure an 84-72 victory on Dec. 13 at Madison Square Garden. Yakwe netted 15 points, sinking 5-of-6 free-throws, and blocked two shots in the winning effort. In BIG EAST play, Yakwe recorded five of his six double-figure scoring performances and had two double-doubles.

His marquee regular-season performance came on Feb. 21 against Seton Hall, posting a career-high 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting, and grabbing a career-best 15 rebounds to go with four blocks. Over the course of conference action, Yakwe increased his production on both ends of the court, averaging 7.5 points on 45.5 percent shooting, 6.4 rebounds and 2.8 blocks. Yakwe was one of three St. John’s freshmen to collect a BIG EAST weekly award this season. He was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Feb. 22 after averaging 13.5 points, 13.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocks against DePaul and Seton Hall. Yakwe shot a team-high 60.0 percent from the field, converting 12-of-20 field goal attempts in those two contests. He recorded back-to-back double-doubles, including the first of his career with 11 points and 11 rebounds to help lift the Red Storm to an 80-65 win over the Blue Demons on Feb. 17 at Carnesecca Arena.  The BIG EAST Freshman of the Year will come from the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team.

The conference will announce the Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year, Coach of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year on Wednesday, March 9. The announcement will be made on the first day of the BIG EAST Championship Presented by the Jeep brand at Madison Square Garden at 4:30 p.m.  St. John’s (8-23) enters the BIG EAST Tournament as the No. 10 seed and will face No. 7 Marquette (19-12) in the first round Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. on FS1. Henry Ellenson, Marquette, F, Fr., 6-11, 245, Rice Lake, Wis.*Ben Bentil, Providence, F, So., 6-9, 235, Wilmington, Del.*Kris Dunn, Providence, G, Jr., 6-3, 205, New London, Conn.*Isaiah Whitehead, Seton Hall, G, So., 6-4, 210, Brooklyn, N.Y.*Josh Hart, Villanova, G, Jr., 6-5, 202, Silver Spring, Md.Trevon Bluiett, Xavier, G, So., 6-6, 208, Indianapolis, Ind. Roosevelt Jones, Butler, F, Sr., 6-4, 225, O’Fallon, Ill. Kelan Martin, Butler, F, So., 6-6, 235, Louisville, Ky.Maurice Watson, Jr., Creighton, G, Jr., 5-10, 170, Philadelphia, Pa.D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, Georgetown, G, Sr., 6-3, 215, Indianapolis, Ind.Ryan Arcidiacono, Villanova, G, Sr., 6-3, 195, Langhorne, Pa. Kellen Dunham, Butler, G, Sr., 6-6, 200, Pendleton, Ind.Angel Delgado, Seton Hall, F, So., 6-9, 245, Bajos De Haina, Dominican Rep. Daniel Ochefu