Thursday in New Orleans is basically a non-basketball day. Most of the fans arrive today and activities will really begin in earnest then.

There’s plenty to do, though. Things like Bracket Town, where you can shoot hoops with college stars whose teams didn’t make the Final Four, view the Naismith family memorabilia and listen to your favorite coach while getting an autograph or two.

And, this is New Orleans, so there’s food, drink, music and even a little gambling. On Thursday alone, I ate fried oysters, a shrimp po’ boy, rabbit and fried green tomatoes. I went to the legendary Tipitina’s to hear old-school soul, and found a place called Aloha Spa (to be honest, I’m not sure it’s really a spa).

Today the concert series begins along the Mississippi River. Performing along with local talent is Kiss, the Black Keys and Jimmy Buffett.

Jeff Portnoy’s blog, Hoops Talk, can be read at staradvertiser.com.