I like the first Thursday, and the week of conference tournaments for two separate reasons. The first Thursday at a bar (or man cave) all day with friends is always outstanding. But solely for great basketball, I still like the coming week for what it means to the teams that survive and advance.
The first Thursday is my favorite. It's similar to the first Saturday of college football for me. Just sit at a bar in front of multiple TVs and by the end of the day you are totally drained.
My buddy has told me so many stories about the first Thursday out at the Sportsbook in Vegas. I guess it's absolutely insane. Just chaos with every bucket, missed shot, steal, dunk, etc. One of the most popular bets out there is the "first to 15" bet, which is obviously the first team to 15 points. Can't imagine how awesome that would be to play from game to game to game, especially if you keep winning and roll it up.