I’ve not yet posted any thoughts on the first weekend, largely because that weekend was pretty busy and the first couple of days this week have been as well.

My son’s birthday was yesterday, and we did the party thing on Saturday. It’s kind of hard to believe it’s been three years. I remember holding him in March of 2004 at Huntsville Hospital as he watched his first NCAA tournament games, including Duke’s second round win over Seton Hall en route to the Final Four. I believe he first smiled after the Blue Devils won. (And his first word was ‘Krzyzewski’.)

I’ll probably post a little about the first weekend before Thursday’s games, along with thoughts about the upcoming regionals. Here’s a few things in the meantime.

With all the talk of coaching changes, especially the speculation on Stan Heath’s future here in Arkansas, I thought this was a pretty good article. I’ve pretty much thought of Gary Parrish as a moron after reading many of his articles this season, but he finally wrote something that made a little sense in an article titled “Coaches should follow heat - before the fall starts.” Basically, it is a message to the up-and-coming coaches out there who may get a call from a power conference school regarding their coaching vacancy. The message? If you get the offer, take it! You can never be certain you’ll get another chance. In fact, Stan Heath is his prime example.

LSU’s Glen Davis makes his move to the NBA a year too late. After last year’s tournament, Davis was ranked in the top 15 or so among NBA prospects and might possibly have been a lottery pick. Currently, he is ranked #50. Oden, Durant, Wright - did you hear that? Yes, you’re all much more talented than Davis, but do you want to take that chance?

SI has posted a “All-First Weekenders” team. Virginia’s J.R. Reynolds should be first team.

And, here’s a ranking of the Sweet 16 teams. This is based strictly on first and second round play - not on the season as a whole. I can’t argue with Kansas at #1. They’ve looked better than anyone so far. However, I’m not sure about UNC at #3. They allowed Eastern Kentucky to cut a 27 point lead down to 4 points before pulling away again to win. That alone seems like it would keep you out of the top five. But maybe I’m a little biased. :)