Teams on Upset Alert in Day 3 of the 2018 NCAA Tournament

Thursday marks the first full day of the 2018 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, which also means it's the first opportunity for lower-seeded teams to sting a big-name opponent.

The early-round upsets are one of the things that make the NCAA tourney stand out so much from other sporting events. It's the uncertainty from not knowing which well-regarded teams are 40 minutes away from their season coming to a surprising end—as well as the anticipation that it's going to happen a few times.

Last year's first round was relatively light on the big upsets, which we're categorizing as any time a No. 11 seed or lower wins. Fifth-seeded Minnesota was the biggest victim, losing to No. 12 Middle Tennessee.

Who might be in jeopardy of getting knocked off? Below are six higher-seeded teams who should be on upset alert Thursday.

Florida

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No. 6 Florida vs. No. 11 St. Bonaventure (East Regional)

Not only must it "beware the ides of March," Florida must also "fear the first four."

As one of the four teams in this year's NCAA field that gets to face the winner of a play-in game, the Gators (20-12) are in jeopardy of falling victim to the trend of First Four teams to advance past the first round.

It's happened every year since the tournament was expanded to 68 teams in 2011, with VCU getting to Final Four that year. USC reached the second round last season, knocking off SMU after beating Providence in the First Four.

St. Bonaventure beat UCLA 65-58 on Tuesday. The Bonnies (26-7) are one of the better teams in the tourney in terms of defending the three-point line, thanks to a 3-2 zone. They have a pair of potent scorers in senior guards Jaylen Adams and Matt Mobley and got 26 points from junior Courtney Stockard against the Bruins. Florida takes more than 40 percent of its shots from three and has allowed someone to score 20 or more points 19 times this season.

The Gators have been up-and-down all season, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see them finish on a down note at the hands of an opponent playing with momentum thanks to a tournament win.

Houston

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No. 6 Houston vs. No. 11 San Diego State (West Regional)

If you lined up Houston and San Diego State's statistics next to each other, you'd be hard-pressed to pick which one was which. Each scores 77 points per game and hold opponents in the 60s, though Houston (26-7) is a shade better thanks to a field-goal percentage defense that ranks ninth nationally.

Each rebounds well, both overall and on the offensive glass, and they take care of the ball well enough to remain efficient offensively.

So why is Houston seeded five spots better than San Diego State (22-10)? The records and conferences have something to do with it, though it's fair to say SDSU's Mountain West Conference was more balanced than the top-heavy American Athletic Conference in which Houston tied for second.

SDSU is the more experienced team in terms of the NCAA tourney. Seniors Trey Kell and Malik Pope played for the Aztecs team that reached the second round in 2015, while graduate transfer Kameron Rooks played with California in the 2016 tourney. Houston's last NCAA bid was 2010.

Kansas

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No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 16 Pennsylvania (Midwest Regional)

Before you jump in with those "a No. 16 seed has never beaten a No. 1" takes, hear us out. We're not saying Pennsylvania is going to beat Kansas; the chances of that are very slim. But if it did happen, it might be because Penn is arguably the strongest No. 16 seed in a long time.

According to Yahoo Sports' Jeff Eisenberg, the Quakers (24-8) are the highest-ranked No. 16 seed in terms of their KenPom.com rating since 2012. At No. 128, Penn is ranked higher than three No. 15 seeds as well as No. 14 Wright State.

Penn hasn't beat anyone of significance this season; its best nonconference victory was against at a rebuilding Dayton team. But what that team is good at is defending the three-pointer, ranking second nationally at 29.2 percent. Making that shot is what Kansas (27-7) excels at, with its 40.3 conversion rate ranking 12th nationally.

All seven of the Jayhawks' losses came when shooting below 37 percent from three, a rate that only 25 percent of Penn's opponents have managed this season.

Kentucky

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No. 5 Kentucky vs. No. 12 Davidson (South Regional)

The last time Kentucky failed to win its first-round NCAA tournament game was 2008, when the Coach Who Shall Not Be Named (Billy Gillispie) was in the first of his two ill-fated seasons running the Wildcats. His successor, John Calipari, last got knocked out in the first round in 2003 while with Memphis.

In simpler terms, Kentucky (24-10) doesn't go out super early under Cal, who took over UK in 2009. But there's a first time for everything, and despite its strong play in winning the SEC tournament, this hasn't been a vintage Wildcats team in terms of consistency and all-out dominance. Kentucky will probably be without their top rebounder, 6'9" freshman forward Jarred Vanderbilt, who missed the SEC tourney with a sprained ankle.

Davidson (21-11) will take any advantage it can get since it's not a strong rebounding team. The Wildcats haven't needed to be, though, thanks to 48.3 percent shooting that includes 39.1 percent from three.

Although Kentucky hasn't suffered a first-round loss in a decade, it has been susceptible to tourney upsets. Per ESPN.com's Chris Fallica, Kentucky has lost six of its last 16 NCAA games when favored.

Miami

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No. 6 Miami vs. No. 11 Loyola of Chicago (South Regional)

With a 5-7 record against teams in the NCAA tournament field, Miami (22-9) hasn't exactly been unstoppable. In fact, if not for back-to-back wins at North Carolina and Virginia Tech to end the regular season, the Hurricanes were probably looking at a No. 8 seed or lower.

The last time the 'Canes played, they jumped out to a 14-0 lead against North Carolina in the ACC quarterfinals and then got outscored 82-51 while shooting 37.1 percent, their fifth-worst rate of the season. That was to a UNC team that isn't particularly known for its defensive acumen.

Loyola-Chicago (28-5) ranks fifth in scoring defense at 62.2 points per game and has held opponents to 41.2 percent from the field. The Ramblers also have the third-best shooting rate in the country, at 50.7 percent, and making nearly 40 percent of their threes.

Though this game is being played in Dallas, Loyola will try to treat it like a road game. The last time it played a team from the Sunshine State away from home, it won 65-59 at then-No. 5 Florida in December.

Ohio State

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No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 12 South Dakota State (West Regional)

The good news is that Ohio State (24-8) doesn't have to play Penn State, which has been responsible for three of the Buckeyes' four losses since late December. The bad news is they're matched up against one of the trendiest upset picks of this year's NCAA tournament.

South Dakota State (28-6) has won 19 of 20, its lone loss at rival South Dakota on Jan. 24. At 84.9 points per game, it's one of the highest-scoring teams in the field. The Jackrabbits have arguably the best mid-major player in the country in 6'9" junior forward Mike Daum, who averages 23.8 points and 10.4 rebounds per game and averaged 25 in five games against power-conference teams this season.

OSU hasn't played since March 2, when Penn State knocked the Buckeyes out of the moved-up Big Ten tournament in the quarterfinals, and that came after being off for a week. SDSU is in the NCAA field for the third straight season, with Daum and several teammates having plenty of experience under their belts.

This game is being played in Boise, Idaho, where OSU doesn't figure to have many fans. South Dakota State's contingent won't have as far to travel and likely will also be supported by fans of nearby Gonzaga who would much prefer not to see the Buckeyes in the second round.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.