The NCAA Tournament is a lot like your high school prom. Sure, 65 teams might be invited to the dance, but only a handful truly have a chance to wake up smiling after it is all over.

Let’s take a look at the Top 25 teams who could be cutting down nets and those who might as well stay home...

1. NORTH CAROLINA
Title contender? Yes
Why? Their perfect core features a great point guard (Ty Lawson), a sweet shooter (Wayne Ellington), and a National Player of the Year candidate (Tyler Hansbrough), three ingredients of many championship teams. Concerns about the lingering effects of Lawson’s injury are legit and the Tar Heels are vulnerable, but they are certainly good enough to compete for a title. Their win at Duke on Saturday is indicative of just how good they can be.

2. MEMPHIS
Title contender? Yes
Why? They’ve beaten fast teams (Houston) and deliberate teams (Georgetown) and their only loss was to one of the top five teams in the country. The free throw shooting is atrocious and Joey Dorsey has been nonexistent in some pressure-filled spots, but their talent, depth, and confidence is as good as you’ll find in college basketball. Plus, as Derrick Rose continues to get more and more big game experience, the Tigers become more and more dangerous.

3. UCLA
Title contender? Yes
Why? While it is true that they should’ve lost their last two games (they were saved by a blown foul call and a blatant out of bounds call), they’ve also made back-to-back Final Four appearances for a reason. Ben Howland is underappreciated, yet brilliant, Kevin Love’s consistency has been remarkable, and the two-headed point guard monster of Russell Westbrook and Darren Collison will be perfect during those impending moments of tension during the tourney.

4. TENNESSEE
Title contender? Yes
Why? They can defend, they can run, and Chris Lofton is much more confident than he was in the first half of the season. There are also at least three future pros on the roster (Lofton, J.P. Prince, and Tyler Smith). That’s a winning formula. They are vulnerable, but the win over Memphis showed that there isn’t a team in the country they can’t knock off.

5. KANSAS
Title contender? Yes
Why? Kansas might just be the most talented team in the nation. They have weapons in the backcourt, on the wings, and in the frontcourt, and they play defense with a rarely matched ferocity. They also seem to be playing with a renewed sense of urgency since losing to Oklahoma State. Darrell Arthur and Brandon Rush aren’t the intense, go-to scorers that teams need to win a title, but Sherron Collins is.

6. DUKE
Title contender? Possibly
Why? This might just be Coach K’s best coaching job ever. He crafted the Duke offense to maximize the shooting ability of his perimeter players. However, the Blue Devils have been exposed defensively in the low post. They overplay on the perimeter, but offensively patient teams have had success against them.

7. STANFORD
Title contender? Yes
Why? Everyone forgot about the Cardinal while Brook Lopez was suspended during the fall semester, but now that he is fully acclimated with the team, Stanford is a force. They might not have the well-known names of some of their highly ranked counterparts, but Lopez is special and certainly good enough – on his own – to carry this team deep into the tournament.

8. XAVIER
Title contender? No
Why? The Atlantic 10 is loaded and Xavier is the strongest team in the conference. The Musketeers have balance and Drew Lavender is a wonderful point guard, but there isn’t an offensive star on the roster who could legitimately carry them all the way to a title.

9. TEXAS
Title contender? No
Why? Similar to Duke, the Texas backcourt is exceptional, but the team doesn’t have great low post defenders, which will prove problematic. Mentally tough teams (Michigan State and Wisconsin, for instance) have exposed this weakness. A.J. Abrams would need him to be on fire for six straight games if the Longhorns were to have any chance of winning it all.

10. WISCONSIN
Title contender? No
Why? The Badgers play passionate defense and Bo Ryan is an elite coach, but they just don’t have the NBA-type talent that is necessary to win a national championship. They have lost twice to Purdue and the early season losses to Duke and Marquette are good examples of why Wisconsin’s lack of top-tier players will spell doom in the tourney.

11. GEORGETOWN
Title contender? Not currently
Why? The backcourt is an absolute mess. Freshman Austin Freeman is the only guard on the squad who has shown any type of consistency. Jonathan Wallace has been referred to as one of the top guards in the country, yet he’s not even one of the best in the Big East. And Jeremiah Rivers just isn’t good enough. Roy Hibbert does many things well, but the Hoyas can’t win a title with such poor play from their guards. If the Hoyas pick up some momentum and some confidence in the Big East tournament, they could make a push, but it isn’t likely.

12. LOUISVILLE
Title contender? Almost
Why? In the last month and a half, the Cardinals have lost two games by a total of five points. David Padgett’s return has been vital to Louisville’s success because he is a source of toughness on a roster that was already loaded with talent. He also allows them to play effectively in the half-court, which will be vital come tourney time.

13. CONNECTICUT
Title contender? Yes
Why? The two most important factors in determining tournament success are point guard play and post defense. UConn has them both covered. Hasheem Thabeet’s emergence has brought the Huskies right back into the national picture and A.J. Price has quietly had a sensational season running the show. Plus, Jim Calhoun seems more excited than he’s been in years.

14. BUTLER
Title contender? No
Why? Butler plays tight defense and the Bulldogs have tremendous talent on the perimeter, but they just don’t have enough frontcourt depth to win a championship. Butler won’t be able to win six straight, however the backcourt of Mike Green and A.J. Graves is so good that they could make a run at a Final Four.

15. PURDUE
Title contender? No
Why? Matt Painter’s team is one of the feel good stories of the season. Purdue’s top five leading scorers are all underclassmen, led by super frosh E’Twaun Moore. They’ve lost just two games since mid-January (including two winsover Wisconsin), but that says far more about the state of the Big Ten than it does about their chance of a national championship.

16. VANDERBILT
Title contender? No
Why? The Commodores began the season at 16-0, but they’ve only gone 9-6 since then. Shan Foster – the premiere shooter in the nation – and freshman A.J. Ogilvy both have NBA talent, but Vandy is just too inconsistent. Foster’s heroics have saved the Commodores throughout the season, but the team’s lapses defensively will eventually be their demise.

17. MICHIGAN STATE
Title contender? No
Why? Don’t let the 23-6 record fool you. The Spartans are just 3-5 on the road. If you can’t win away from home, you can’t win it all. Raymar Morgan is an underrated star, but this team relies far too much on Drew Neitzel to take home a national title.

18. INDIANA
Title contender? No
Why? If Eric Gordon has an off night (which is rare), Indiana is just an average basketball team. But once the tournament starts and IU faces strong competition for six straight games, Gordon is bound to have at least one bad game. Someone outside of Gordon or D.J. White will need to become a third weapon in order for the Hoosiers to make a legit run.

19. NOTRE DAME
Title contender? No
Why? If the NCAA Tournament was held in South Bend, the Irish might be the tournament favorites. But it isn’t. Notre Dame hasn’t lost at home in over two years, but they are just 4-4 on the road this season and, as bears repeating, bad road teams don’t win championships. Luke Harangody has been tremendous this season, but he isn’t good enough to carry the Irish to the promised land.

20. DRAKE
Title contender? No
Why? Wins over Butler, Iowa State, and Iowa were impressive and Adam Emmenecker, Josh Young, and Leonard Houston are all underappreciated, but there just aren’t enough elite-level players on the roster. However, a Sweet 16-type performance could happen.

21. MARQUETTE
Title contender? No
Why? The Golden Eagles backcourt of Dominic James, Jerel McNeal, Wesley Matthews, and Maurice Acker is very good. However, sophomore Lazar Hayward is their only noteworthy frontcourt player and he’s only 6-foot-6. And, even more importantly, Marquette is just 5-4 on the road this season. Not necessarily the stuff of champions.

22. GONZAGA
Title contender? No
Why? Josh Heytvelt’s return from embarrassment has been nice to watch, but his play hasn’t been. He just hasn’t returned to the dominating force he was at the beginning of last season. Without Heytvelt imposing his will, the Zags are solid, but certainly not spectacular. However, with Heytvelt, Matt Bouldin and Austin Daye, this team could do some really special things next year.

23. WASHINGTON STATE
Title contender? Almost
Why? Tony Bennett is an elite coach and Derrick Low and Kyle Weaver are elite players. Throw is Taylor Rochestie, Aron Baynes, and Robbie Cowgill and WSU could make some noise. But this list isn’t about how loud you are. Bennett’s team executes efficiently, but they play far too many close games. And it is almost impossible to win six straight close contests in the tourney.

24. CLEMSON
Title contender? No
Why? Terrence Oglesby is the kind of shooter who could cause fireworks in the tournament. James Mays is an incredibly versatile defender. Trevor Booker is explosive down low. And K.C. Rivers can score in bunches. Unfortunately for the Tigers, tournament games are often played conservatively and Clemson has proven to be just terrible in the half-court.

25. DAVIDSON
Title contender? No
Why? The backcourt of Jason Richards and Stephen Curry might just be the best in the country. However, talent-wise the pickings are pretty slim on the rest of the roster. The Wildcats will win a game or two, but they have no realistic shot of a championship.