The NCAA basketball tournament is set to tip-off on March 17-18, with the championship game scheduled for April 6 in the basketball crazy state of Indianapolis.

But while the tournament is still over one and a half months away, there is still the matter of the preliminary rounds, which will determine the teams receiving bids for the 11, 12, and 16 seeds.

ESPN's Joe Lunardi notes that teams like Michigan State, Syracuse, and South Carolina on the fringe as the final four teams to likely get in the tournament.

The Spartans have been on a bit of a run, winning their last four games as they head into a matchup with the fifth-ranked Wisconsin Badgers on March 1.

The Agora, for its part, points out that teams like the UCLA Bruins and the Miami Hurricanes have been slipping, with the boys from southern California losing three of their last five games, while their south Florida counterparts have won only three of their last eight games"”a turnaround that puts both teams on pace to be the last four teams out.

The Duke Blue Devils have been riding the solid play of their freshman Jahlil Okafor, who has scored in double digits in all the games he's played in. For the season, the potential NBA lottery pick is averaging 17 points and 9 rebounds.

The Wisconsin Badgers do not have a "diaper dandy" of their own, but have a super senior in Frank Kaminski, who has been leading the charge all season with similar averages of 17 points and 8 rebounds per game.

Meanwhile, the unanimous number one seed Kentucky Wildcats, one of the youngest teams in the nation, are looking to push their unbeaten streak. Despite being short on experience, with only five upper classmen, the Wildcats have been dominating the SEC conference riding the strength of their 10-man rotation.

It will become tougher for the "Cats, though, as 68 teams will receive a bid to the big show, with only one fortunate enough to hoist the national championship trophy.