Free March Madness Picks Iowa Hawkeyes and Illinois Fighting Illini

The Illinois Fighting Illini can't afford another loss as it may ultimately bring the curtain down on Coach Bruce Weber's career. With his program mired a nasty six-game losing skid – the longest of his tenure in Champaign – Weber is in hot water.

The Iowa Hawkeyes could be the cure since the Fighting Illini have managed to win six in a row over Iowa and 16 of the past 20 meetings.

The Hawkeyes, however, are finishing the year in style, picking up wins over ranked rivals Indiana and Wisconsin in their last two outings.

Iowa Hawkeyes at Illinois Fighting Illini

When: 6:00 PM ET, Sunday, February 26, 2012

Where: Assembly Hall, Champaign, Illinois

The Fighting Illini have opened as 6.5 point favorites on several online sports book sites. This free March madness

picks will give you a thorough analysis on the teams if you feel like betting on the game. Don't forget to come up with your own opinions, this is only a guide.

Iowa Hawkeyes (15-13)

This team is different when they hit the Big Ten Highway. Their four straight wins is a proof that they can really run with the best the conference has to offer, five straight road losses shows their fragility. The Hawkeyes have difficulty on the road, allowing an average of 85 points per game during that five-game away slide. Assembly Hall has never been kind to Iowa and the team has never won a game ever since a 78-72 victory on Feb 21, 1999. The Hawkeyes have 10 or more steals in 10 straight games and rank first in the conference with 7.9 per game.

Illinois Fighting Illini (16-12)

The Illini have depended on their defense during the Weber era however, it seems that such defense is lacking in this year's squad, it is quite a stingy demeanor especially at the 3-point arc. They have been abused from the perimeter during the losing skid. The last five opponents are hitting more than half their attempts from outside, making the Fighting Illini the worst team in the Big Ten against the 3-ball at 40.2 percent. Illinois leads the series 80-66, including 60-14 in Champaign. The Fighting Illini star guard Brandon Paul is only two points short of 1,000 but he is also 10 turnovers short of reaching the century mark on the year.

Free March Madness Picks: Fighting Illini 75, Hawkeyes 66