The 2018 NCAA men's basketball tournament was announced Sunday and millions of fans began filling out brackets.
Known by its moniker of March Madness, the tournament is arguably at its best during the first weekend.
No No. 16 seed has beaten a No. 1 seed and that should hold true again this season.
However, there are usually some first-round upsets that send brackets to the shredder.
Here are four bracket busters to be aware of during the first week of the tournament.
Thursday
_No. 6 Houston (26-7) vs. No. 11 San Diego State (22-10). Houston is a streaky team, but when they're off, they're way off. San Diego State has selective patience if that can be considered a style of play. They were 13-10 at one point of the season, then won nine consecutive games. Keep an eye on Houston's shot selections. Aztecs can extend their defense and that might be the difference.
_No. 7 Rhode Island (25-7) vs. No. 10 Oklahoma (18-13). Guard play is the key to any tournament and the Sooners have it. Trae Young is not a one-man team, but he can set the table for others. Young's offense has been shaky of late, but Rhode Island hasn't faced a guard of his stature this season.
Friday
_No. 12 New Mexico State (28-5) vs. No. 5 Clemson (23-9). The Aggies are a basketball school so there won't be any intimidation factor. They're in the tournament for the sixth time in the past seven seasons. Clemson is a battled-tested team from the rugged ACC, but they haven't advanced out of the first round since 1997.
_No. 13 Charleston (26-7) vs. No. 4 Auburn (25-7). The Auburn Tigers shared the SEC regular-season title then made a one-game exit in the SEC tournament. They are short-handed because of injuries and are 2-4 in their past six games. Charleston is 51-16 in the past two years. They know how to win. They've also won 14 of their past 15 games. Few teams are hotter.
