Teams on Upset Alert in Day 3 of the 2017 NCAA Tournament

Upsets are a major part of the NCAA tournament experience, and they can make or break your bracket.

Not only is the thrill of picking an upset great fun, but there are also plenty of people who have a lot at stake with teams in the No. 3-No. 6 seed range predicted to make deep tournament runs.

The 2017 NCAA tournament has plenty of potential upsets to keep an eye on in first-round action Thursday, with seven matchups in particular looking like they could be close.

Since 8-9 and 7-10 matchups are so evenly matched, we went away from those games and focused on greater seed disparity in calling for teams that needed to watch out for upsets.

While some of these higher seeds are struggling for form ahead of the tournament and could be prone to an early exit, others have terrifying matchups with double-digit seeds that you don't want to mess with.

Here's a look at seven teams on upset watch during Thursday's NCAA tournament action.

Butler

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Kelan Martin

No. 4 Butler vs. No. 13 Winthrop (South Region)

Butler has been slowing down a bit at the end of the season after dropping two straight games. The Bulldogs looked like a potentially higher seed thanks to their regular-season sweep of Big East champion Villanova, but losses to Seton Hall and Xavier haven't instilled confidence in this team heading into Thursday.

First-round opponent Winthrop is also dangerous because it features a dynamic scoring guard in 5'7" senior Keon Johnson.

Butler has had issues slowing down quicker guards at times, and Johnson scored 38 points in a road win at Illinois. With his ability to get in the paint and make plays, his performance is something to monitor in this game.

Butler remains one of the most balanced teams in the country, and it should be prepared for March, but this is an intriguing enough matchup where it could be close down the stretch.

Florida

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KeVaughn Allen

No. 4 Florida vs. No. 13 East Tennessee State (East Region)

The Gators had an impressive season in the SEC and are back in the NCAA tournament under second-year head coach Mike White. For as strong as Florida has been, the committee did it no favors by giving the team East Tennessee State as a first-round opponent.

Head coach Steve Forbes has done a great job of accumulating talent, as senior T.J. Cromer is one of the best mid-major guards in the country. The Buccaneers give minutes almost exclusively to upperclassmen, as four of the team's top five scorers are seniors.

Frontcourt options Hanner Mosquera-Perea (Indiana) and Tevin Glass (Wichita State) bring experience from bigger programs, and they won't be fazed by playing the Gators.

As losers of three of their last four games entering the NCAA tournament, there are some reasons to be concerned about the Gators.

Florida State

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Dwayne Bacon

No. 3 Florida State vs. No. 14 Florida Gulf Coast (West Region)

Matchups involving No. 14 seeds typically don't get a lot of buzz when it comes to upsets, but things are a little different when Dunk City is involved.

While this Florida Gulf Coast roster is different from the 2013 team that made a Sweet 16 run under former head coach Andy Enfield, the Eagles still have plenty of talented players who should scare Florida State.

Current head coach Joe Dooley has benefited from an uptick in recruiting prestige while also taking advantage of transfers. Among the Eagles' top five players, three are transfers from bigger programs who have thrived in the Atlantic Sun.

Former UCF guard Brandon Goodwin was already a double-figure scorer in the American, but he exploded into an 18.2 points-per-game scorer this season as one of four Florida Gulf Coast players who average double figures.

Florida State had a great year in the ACC, but it hasn't inspired the most confidence as a No. 3 seed. That's because the Seminoles only have three of 25 wins away from home.

The fan dynamic for the first-round matchup in Orlando will be fascinating.

Virginia

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London Perrantes

No. 5 Virginia vs. No. 12 UNC Wilmington (East Region)

The most important thing to watch in this one will be pace.

Virginia is the slowest team in the country, as it ranks No. 351 in adjusted tempo. UNC Wilmington is No. 71 in adjusted tempo and is one of the fastest dozen teams in the field of 68.

The Cavaliers will want to grind this game out with long possessions and a lot of time running off the shot clock, as their offense can be prone to stretches of shaky play. Senior point guard London Perrantes is one of college basketball's best floor leaders, but he's also the only double-figure scorer.

UNC Wilmington has a good offense and rates No. 18 in adjusted offensive efficiency on KenPom. If the Seahawks can put up points early, they'll force Virginia to play from behind, which is less than ideal for a team that can struggle to score.

With UNC Wilmington having tough scorers in C.J. Bryce (17.6 points per game), Chris Flemmings (15.8) and Denzel Ingram (14.5), it isn't out of the question that those guys get going and make this a tight game at the end.

Iowa State

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Monte Morris

No. 5 Iowa State vs. No. 12 Nevada (Midwest Region)

Potentially high scoring and fast-paced, this might be one of the most entertaining first-round matchups in the NCAA tournament.

Head coach Eric Musselman has done a nice job building Nevada into a contender in the Mountain West, as sophomore Cameron Oliver has generated some NBA draft buzz. Guard Marcus Marshall (Missouri State) and forward Jordan Caroline (Southern Illinois) are two quality transfers from the Missouri Valley Conference who have become double-figure scorers in a tough offense.

While the Wolf Pack are one of the toughest teams in the country and a scary double-digit seed, they are also running into an Iowa State team that is red-hot.

The Cyclones just won the Big 12 tournament last week, and they're playing with a lot of confidence since freshman Solomon Young joined the starting lineup. With four seniors on the perimeter who have played a lot of games together, this Iowa State team is going to be tough to beat.

But Nevada also shouldn't be fazed by playing a high-powered offense, and this final game of Thursday night could be one to stay up late for.

Maryland

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Melo Trimble

No. 6 Maryland vs. No. 11 Xavier (West Region)

Neither of these teams have played particularly inspired ball in the last few weeks, making this is a potentially close 6/11 matchup.

Maryland can at least rely on junior guard Melo Trimble to be prepared, as he's been one of the most clutch guards in America the last few seasons.

But with four new starters around him from last year's Sweet 16 team, Trimble has seen his supporting cast—many of them freshmen—waver at times down the stretch.

The Terps lost four of their last six games entering the NCAA tournament, and one of those wins came against Rutgers. Losing to Northwestern in front of a heavy pro-Maryland crowd in the Big Ten tournament was not a great look heading into the NCAA tournament.

Xavier hasn't been much better. Three of the last four wins the Musketeers have collected came against DePaul, and they went 1-7 against NCAA tournament teams in the last month of the season.

Since the injury to Edmond Sumner that shut him down for the rest of the season, Xavier hasn't looked like the same team.

But Xavier did start to show some signs of life in the Big East tournament. It won two games in Madison Square Garden, including one over Butler, and looked much more comfortable than it did during a brutal February in Big East play. 

If it is a close game, Maryland gets the nod since it has Trimble. But Xavier is not a typical No. 11 seed and could surprise the Terps.

Minnesota

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Nate Mason and Reggie Lynch

No. 5 Minnesota vs. No. 12 Middle Tennessee (South Region)

This will be one of the more popular upset picks since Middle Tennessee already did this to a Big Ten team before when they shocked No. 2 seed Michigan State last year.

The Blue Raiders return talented double-figure scorers in Reggie Upshaw and Giddy Potts from last season's roster, while Arkansas transfer JaCorey Williams, who sat out last season, has been a revelation. Winning Conference USA's Player of the Year honors in his only season in the league, Williams averaged 17.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game while shooting 54.1 percent from the field.

With experience and an elite player in Williams, the Blue Raiders confidently rolled through Conference USA this season, a league that has produced upsets the last two years (No. 14 seed UAB also took down No. 3 seed Iowa State).

Minnesota is an interesting first-round matchup because big man Reggie Lynch forces the Blue Raiders to potentially go with a bigger lineup while they would prefer to play a bit smaller. The Golden Gophers also shouldn't be counted out because they've played better down the stretch after a five-game slide in the middle of Big Ten play.

Junior guard Nate Mason is having an all-Big Ten-caliber season, and head coach Richard Pitino was in the discussion for National Coach of the Year honors after leading this team to a stunning turnaround.

But this is the rare 5/12 matchup in which the No. 12 seed has more recent NCAA tournament experience, and that might help decide what should be a close game.

Advanced stats courtesy of Kenpom.com and updated as of March 15.