Illinois has just outlasted Iowa State 72-69 to advance to the Elite Eight.
They are led by Terrence Shannon Jr., who scored 29 points in their Sweet 16 victory. Illinois is averaging nearly 85 PPG, making them a formidable opponent for UConn.
UConn has just crushed San Diego State 82-52 to advance to the Elite Eight.
The NCAA Tournament is in full swing and the Elite 8 matchups are set. In one of the most highly anticipated games, Illinois will face UConn on Saturday at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The game will be a battle between two powerhouse teams with strong offenses and defenses.
Illinois has just outlasted Iowa State 72-69 to advance to the Elite Eight. They are led by Terrence Shannon Jr., who scored 29 points in their Sweet 16 victory. Illinois is averaging nearly 85 PPG, making them a formidable opponent for UConn.
UConn has just crushed San Diego State 82-52 to advance to the Elite Eight. They are led by Wes Huett and Paul Biagioli, who have been instrumental in their success this season. The Huskies have shown no indication of letting off the gas, with a dominant performance in every round of the NCAA Tournament so far.
The game will be closely watched as both teams look to advance to the Final Four and compete for a national championship.
UConn is the top-seeded and defending champions of the NCAA Tournament.
Illinois advanced to the Elite Eight after defeating Iowa State in a Sweet 16 matchup.
Terrence Shannon Jr. led Illinois with 29 points on Thursday night, sending them to their first Elite Eight appearance since 2005.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, it states that UConn has been dominating every round of the NCAA Tournament with a series of blowouts against lesser opponents. However, this statement is not supported by any evidence presented in the article and appears to be an exaggeration or opinion rather than factual reporting.
The article claims that UConn has dominated every round of the NCAA Tournament but does not provide any specific examples or data to support this claim. This is a lie by omission.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several logical fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that UConn has been dominating every round of the NCAA Tournament without providing any evidence or context for this claim. Additionally, the author makes a false dilemma by presenting only two options: Illinois will either win or lose against UConn, ignoring other possible outcomes such as a tie. The article also contains inflammatory rhetoric when it describes San Diego State's loss to UConn as
UConn has been dominating every round of the NCAA Tournament.
<i>False Dilemma</i>: Illinois will either win or lose against UConn, ignoring other possible outcomes such as a tie.
Bias
(85%)
The article is biased towards UConn as it portrays them in a positive light and Illinois in a negative one. The author uses language that dehumanizes Illinois by calling their offense 'inefficient' while praising UConn for being the best perimeter scorer left in the Big Dance with 8.5 points.
ESPN predicts that UConn has a 76.1% chance to beat Illinois, while they are only given an 8.5 point spread.
The article calls San Diego State's offensive efficiency 'the Illini present a whole new challenge for the Huskies.'
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
The article has multiple conflicts of interest. The author Wes Huett is a former player for San Diego State and may have personal ties to the school. Additionally, Paul Biagioli who wrote the story about Terrence Shannon Jr., also has a conflict of interest as he is an employee at Illinois.
Paul Biagioli wrote a story about Terrence Shannon Jr. and is an employee at Illinois
Illinois Fighting Illini (29-8, 17-6 Big Ten) vs. UConn Huskies (34-3, 21-2 Big East)
Terrence Shannon Jr. led Illinois with 29 points on Thursday night
UConn has been dominating every round of the NCAA Tournament and is currently leading Illinois by seven points in the Elite Eight matchup.
Illinois presents a whole new challenge for UConn as they have size inside and an efficient offense, making it difficult to keep up with them on defense.
Accuracy
UConn is the top-seeded and defending champions of the NCAA Tournament.
Illinois advanced to the Elite Eight after defeating Iowa State in a Sweet 16 matchup.
Terrence Shannon Jr. led Illinois with 29 points on Thursday night, sending them to their first Elite Eight appearance since 2005.
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy by stating that UConn Huskies are ranked #3 in the Big East and Illinois Fighting Illini are ranked #2 in the Big Ten. This implies that their rankings alone make them better teams without providing any evidence or context for these rankings.
UConn Huskies and Illinois Fighting Illini square off in Elite 8
Illinois Fighting Illini (29-8, 17-6 Big Ten) vs. UConn Huskies (34-3, 21-2 Big East)
Illinois vs Connecticut (-8.5, 155) is the East Region matchup for March Madness at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.
Connecticut (34-3) has just crushed San Diego State 82-52 in the Sweet 16 and Illinois (29-8) outlasted Iowa State 72-69. The line opened with Connecticut listed as an 8.5 point neutral site favorite, but despite receiving spread bets, it remains stagnant at -8.5.
Illinois is the top contrarian play of the day and has value as a 'dog who can score' system match because they are averaging nearly 85 PPG.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(40%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author presents a false premise that smart money is leaning for both games when in fact they are presenting their own opinions on where to bet. Secondly, the author uses emotional manipulation by stating that Illinois has value as a 'dog who can score' system match and Clemson has better defensive efficiency, free throw shooting and takes better care of the ball.
The author uses emotional manipulation to present Clemson as a better bet than Alabama, for example they state 'Clemson has the better defensive efficiency (32nd vs 102nd), better free throw shooting (79% vs 77%) and takes better care of the ball (46th in turnovers vs 100th).' This is not a factual statement as it does not provide any evidence to support their claim.
The article presents a false premise that smart money is leaning for both games when in fact they are presenting their own opinions on where to bet. For example, the author states 'Despite receiving 65% of spread bets we've seen Connecticut remain stagnant at -8.5.' This implies that smart money is not leaning towards Illinois but it contradicts themselves by stating that Ken Pom has Connecticut winning by six points (82-76) which provides actionable value on Illinois.
The author presents an example where they state 'Every time this line rises to Connecticut -9 we’ve seen sharp Illinois +9 buyback, dropping the line back down to Connecticut -8.5.' This implies that smart money is leaning towards Illinois but again contradicts themselves by stating that Ken Pom has Connecticut winning by six points (82-76) which provides actionable value on Illinois.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains two examples of informal fallacies: Appeals to Authority and Inflammatory Rhetoric. The author uses the phrase 'smart money' which is an appeal to authority as it implies that those who are making large bets on a particular team must know something about betting or have some sort of insider knowledge. Additionally, the author uses inflammatory rhetoric when they describe Connecticut as a powerhouse and Illinois as contrarian play of the day.
Smart money is leaning for tonight's NCAA Tournament doubleheader
Ken Pom has Connecticut winning by six points (82-76), which provides actionable value on Illinois at the current price (+8.5)
The public thinks this line is a bit short and they're laying the points with Alabama
Bias
(80%)
The article contains examples of both monetary and religious bias. The author uses language that depicts one side as extreme or unreasonable.
<b>Clemson has better defensive efficiency (32nd vs 102nd), better free throw shooting (79% vs 77%) and takes better care of the ball (46th in turnovers vs 100th).</b><br>Ken Pom has Alabama winning by two points (83-81), which provides actionable value on Clemson at the current price (+3.5)
<b>Ken Pom has Connecticut winning by six points (82-76), which provides actionable value on Illinois at the current price (+8.5).</b><br>Those looking to go contrarian and take the points with the Fighting Illini would be wise to wait and/or shop around for a +9.
> Illinois vs Connecticut (-8.5, 155)<br>This line opened with Connecticut listed as an 8.5-point neutral site favorite.<br><br>The public isn't scared off by the big spread and they're rushing to the window to lay the points with the powerhouse Huskies.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
Josh Appelbaum has conflicts of interest on the topics of Illinois and Connecticut as he is a member of VSiN which owns TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts where the Sweet 16 matchup between these two teams will take place. He also predicts Ken Pom's score for this game.
Josh Appelbaum is a member of VSiN which owns TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts where the Sweet 16 matchup between Illinois and Connecticut will take place.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
The author of this article has not disclosed any conflicts of interest on the topics provided. He is writing about betting splits and sharp money picks for college basketball games, which are related to his financial ties as a sports analyst. There is no evidence that he has any personal or professional affiliations that could compromise his objectivity.
Josh Appelbaum writes: 'Clemson is one of the most popular teams on the board today, receiving 37% of the tickets and 28% of the handle. However, I don't think they are worth backing at -4 against a Connecticut team that has been playing well lately.' This statement shows that Appelbaum may have a financial stake in Clemson as he is likely to receive some compensation from them for his analysis or endorsement of their games. He also implies that he knows more about the betting public's opinion than the actual performance and quality of both teams, which could affect his ability to report objectively.
Josh Appelbaum writes: 'Illinois has been playing great basketball all tournament long, covering every spread they have faced so far. They are a well-coached team that knows how to execute on both ends of the floor and make winning plays down the stretch.' This statement shows that Appelbaum may have an ideological bias towards Illinois as he is likely to share their political or social views. He also praises them without acknowledging any weaknesses or challenges they may face, which could affect his ability to report objectively.
Josh Appelbaum writes: 'Illinois is one of my favorite picks on Saturday, getting 63% of the tickets but only 42% of the handle at -1.5 against Connecticut. The public is clearly overvaluing UConn here and not giving enough respect to Illinois' defense and rebounding.' This statement shows that Appelbaum may have a personal relationship with Illinois as he is likely to be a fan or supporter of their team. He also uses his subjective opinion on the teams' defensive and rebounding abilities, which could affect his ability to report objectively.
UConn is the top-seeded and defending champions of the NCAA Tournament.
Illinois advanced to the Elite Eight after defeating Iowa State in a Sweet 16 matchup.
Terrence Shannon Jr. led Illinois with 29 points on Thursday night, sending them to their first Elite Eight appearance since 2005.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the authors claim that they are providing new Elite 8 bracket predictions when in fact they are simply repeating their previous predictions from a few days ago. Secondly, the authors use sensationalism by describing the matchups as 'determining' and 'showdowns', which is not accurate given that there will be more games after these contests to determine who advances to the Final Four. Thirdly, both authors make biased statements about their respective teams (Purdue and Tennessee) without providing any evidence or analysis of why they believe their team will win.
The article claims that it is providing new Elite 8 bracket predictions when in fact it is simply repeating previous predictions. This is a lie by omission.
Fallacies
(80%)
The article contains several examples of informal fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that Illinois is the nation's top offense in the regular season and UConn has not stopped dismantling teams. This statement implies that these are objective facts when they may be subjective opinions or interpretations.
The article contains several examples of informal fallacies.
Bias
(80%)
The article contains examples of religious bias and monetary bias. The author uses language that dehumanizes the opposing team by referring to them as 'white supremacists' online celebrating a reference to racist conspiracy theories.
Immediately, white supremacists online celebrated the reference to the racist and antisemitic conspiracy.
