Cincinnati vs Louisville: Bearcats Clip Cardinals, Keep Tournament Hopes Alive

The Las Vegas lines had the Cincinnati Bearcats as two-point favorites in their game against the Louisville Cardinals.

They got one thing right: the Bearcats secured their second straight victory against Rick Pitino's squad. However, it was a nine-point, 63-54 win that took place against Louisville in Fifth Third Arena.

After dropping three of their last four games, head coach Mick Cronin needed to keep things positive for his Bearcats.

"I told them, 'We're 19-6, we need to be proud of it, need to act like it'...we don't need to let anybody define us individually or as a group that's outside of our locker room," Cronin said.

Cincinnati received the quality win they needed to build their tournament resume. 

Cashmere Wright scored 20 points, Sean Kilpatrick contributed 18 and Yancy Gates added eight points and six rebounds off the bench for the Bearcats (20-6, 7-6 Big East), who overwhelmed the Cardinals to reach the 20 wins for the first time since 2006.

Louisville (19-7, 8-5) was led by Terrence Jennings' 12 point performance, but Cincinnati's merciless defense forced 15 turnovers and kept the Cardinals out of rhythm. 

Even though Louisville shot 47 percent from the field, the Bearcats never let go of the lead and led by as many as 15 before the Cards made it a five point game with 13:15 to play.

The Cardinals were in comeback mode, which was a familiar position; an 18-point rally against Marquette earlier in the season is a highlight they were trying to re-enact. Cincinnati scored seven straight points to take control of the game, taking a 12-point lead. Louisville was out for the count.

This may be the ticket that Cincinnati needs to find themselves in their first NCAA Tournament since 2005, but the Bearcats still have work to do. Five regular-season games remain on the schedule. 

Pitino believes that the Bearcats belong in the postseason.

"They needed this win to get them in the NCAA and they certainly deserved it," he said.

Cincinnati will continue their journey against Providence (14-11, 3-9) on Saturday, February 19 at 7:00 P.M. ET.