Welcome to the best sports week of the year.

It's not the biggest -- that comes in two weeks, when the Dance reaches Minneapolis and we start thinking about baseball for real, and hockey for real, and racing for red roses, and golf for a green jacket.

It's not the brightest -- we did that at the end of January.

This week you will not roll your eyes at what you see, not even once. This week is different.

It's the sounds that make it so, starting with the sweet sneaker-squeaks from places like Uniondale and Dayton and Boise. Early on Thursday, we'll hear coaches yelling and cheerleaders chanting and fans screaming and rims rattling. By late Friday night, all those sounds will blend into a constant, pleasing roar.

This week is different because of the names we will hear. This week is for Casey Calvary and Bernard Rock and Romain Sato. Because we don't know these names all that well, we will not hit the mute button.

Because of the shouts we'll hear from across the crowded bar -- about a game we're not watching -- and because we'll all turn to see the replay.

Because on Wednesday we will hear, "You picked them?!" And because on Friday we will say "I picked them."

Because, deep down, we love the sound of Bill Raftery's voice.

Because we will not hear or say or think, "It just isn't as good as it used to be."

And because for Lute Olson and Eddie Sutton and Billy Donovan, another week of noise will help drown out all that silence.

Eric Adelson is associate editor of ESPNMAG.com. E-mail him at eric.adelson@espnmag.com.