Free March Madness Picks Louisville Cardinals and Cincinnati Bearcats

And the quest for a two-round bye continues for the Louisville Cardinals and Cincinnati Bearcats, who have fourth place in the Big East within their grasp.

Both teams are tied for sixth, one game out of fourth and two games out of second. For the Bearcats, they have won four of its last five games and the Cardinals have won their seven out of eight.

The Bearcats are used to playing close games as they have won six of 10 games decided by five or less points or in overtime. Winning their last two meetings would be the Cincinnati Bearcats but for the Louisville, they are leading the series with 53-41.

Louisville Cardinals at Cincinnati Bearcats

When: 9:00 PM ET, Thursday, February 23, 2012

Where: Fifth Third Arena, Cincinnati Ohio

The Bearcats opened as 1.5 point favorites on several online sports book sites. Always visit Sportsbook.com if there were changes with lines and odds. This free March madness picks will serve you which team is worth your bets.

Louisville Cardinals (21-6)

The Cardinals have been on fire from 3-point range, making 38.8 percent over the last four games, including a season-high 12 in its last game at DePaul. Four Players managed to average double figures and they are Kyle Kuric (13.3), Russ Smith (12.0), Chris Smith (10.9) and Gorgui Dieng (10.0), and the top three are all factors from 3-point range. Kuric has made a team-high 55 treys, while Chris Smith has made a team-leading 41.5 percent. Dieng leads the team with 9.2 assists and 90 blocks. Five different players have been the leading scorer over the last seven games.

Cincinnati Bearcats (19-8)

The Bearcats have won six of their last 10 regular season games against ranked opponents. Cashmere Wright who has 10.9 points had 20 points when the team met a year ago. Wright at 10.9 points, is one of four starters who managed to average in double figures. Sean Kilpatrick leads the team with 15 points and adds 5.1 rebounds, but he's been held to single digits in two of the last three games, scoring only with 36 points during that stretch. Dion Dixon who has 13.6 points has scored in double figures 23 times and bounced back with a subpar effort by scoring 20 in the last game against Seton Hall.

Free March Madness Picks: Bearcats 68, Cardinals 65