Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, Kamilla Cardoso, Te-Hina Paopao, MiLaysia Fulwiley, Aaliyah Edwards and Aziaha James are the top players in the tournament.
The 2024 Women's March Madness Final Four is set to take place on April 5th and 7th.
The 2024 Women's March Madness Final Four is set to take place on April 5th and 7th. The top players in the tournament include Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, Kamilla Cardoso, Te-Hina Paopao, MiLaysia Fulwiley, Aaliyah Edwards and Aziaha James. These seven players have been ranked as the best by ESPN for teams that will compete in Cleveland.
Caitlin Clark is the No. 4 overall recruit in the class of 2020
Paige Bueckers has been carrying most of UConn's scoring load on their depleted roster.
Aziaha James is averaging 24.3 ppg to lift NC State into their first Final Four since 1998.
Aaliyah Edwards, a Canadian national team pool member, is averaging 16.8 ppg and leading UConn's short-handed squad.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(30%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, it presents the two best point guards as if they are playing against each other for the first time when in fact they have played each other before. Secondly, it implies that Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers are carrying their respective teams by themselves when in reality both teams have depleted rosters. Thirdly, the article presents statistics without providing context or explaining how those statistics were achieved.
The article claims that Paige Bueckers is carrying most of UConn's scoring load with her 28 ppg average, but it fails to mention that she has been playing with a depleted roster and had no help from the rest of the team.
The article states that Caitlin Clark is averaging 32.3 ppg and 10 assists per game in the tournament, but it does not provide any information on how these numbers were calculated or what other players are contributing to Iowa's offense.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several examples of informal fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that Geno Auriemma will be happy with the second place ranking for Paige Bueckers. Additionally, there are multiple instances where the author describes a player's performance as 'impressive', which is subjective and not based on objective criteria.
Geno Auriemma will be happy with the second place ranking for Paige Bueckers
The 29 points against Stanford and 27 against Texas were the most impressive, and efficient, of her run so far.
Bias
(85%)
The article is biased towards the two top point guards in the class of 2020. The author uses language that deifies Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers as if they are superheroes. The author also compares their performances to each other's, which creates a sense of competition between them even though they have never played against each other before in college.
carrying most of the scoring load on a depleted roster that had to start two freshmen
dropping a stat line of 41 points (shooting 44.8%)
packing the stat sheet, averaging 28 ppg, 9 rpg, 5 apg, 3.3 spg and 1.5 bpg
The all-time NCAA leading scorer
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of college basketball as they are reporting for Yahoo Sports which is a media company that covers sports and provides news related to it. The author also mentions specific players such as Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers who play for teams in the Final Four, creating potential conflicts of interest.
The article discusses college basketball player Caitlin Clark's performance during March Madness
The article discusses college basketball player Paige Bueckers' performance during March Madness
South Carolina will face off against NC State in the first game of the Final Four on Saturday at 4 p.m PT/7 p.m ET on ESPN.
Iowa will play UConn in the second game of the Final Four on Saturday at 7:30 p.m PT/9:30 a.m ET also on ESPN.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains an appeal to authority by stating that the NCAA Women's March Madness is coming to an end and providing information about the teams participating in the tournament. The author also uses inflammatory rhetoric when describing how intense and exciting it will be for fans watching these games. Additionally, there are examples of dichotomous depictions throughout the article such as 'South Carolina vs NC State' or 'Iowa vs UConn'.
The winners of the Final Four will advance to the NCAA women’s National Championship game on Sunday, April 7.
Both games air on ESPN.
Bias
(85%)
The article contains a statement that implies the author has an affiliation with The Hollywood Reporter through their use of affiliate links. This is not disclosed in the article and could be seen as biased.
]If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, The Hollywood Reporter may receive an affiliate commission.
Caitlin Clark is the top player in ESPN's final rankings of the top 25 players for the 2023-4 season.
Paige Bueckers is also ranked highly in ESPN's final rankings.
Accuracy
Iowa's Caitlin Clark is the top player in ESPN's final rankings of the top 25 players for the 2023-4 season. She led Iowa to back-to-back Final Four appearances and has been a standout performer throughout her college career.
UConn's Paige Bueckers is also ranked highly in ESPN's final rankings, with impressive stats during the NCAA tournament.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in that it only focuses on the top players for teams that will compete in Cleveland. It does not provide a comprehensive list of the best players overall. Additionally, while they mention their emphasis on how these players have performed during the NCAA tournament to help get their teams this far, they do not disclose any sources or quotes from those tournaments.
The article only focuses on top players for teams that will compete in Cleveland and does not provide a comprehensive list of the best players overall.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by citing ESPN's Charlie Creme, Alexa Philippou and Michael Voepel as experts on the topic of women's college basketball. Additionally, the author uses inflammatory rhetoric when describing Clark and Bueckers as
The article contains several fallacies.
<br> The author uses an appeal to authority by citing ESPN's Charlie Creme, Alexa Philippou and Michael Voepel as experts on the topic of women's college basketball. Additionally, the author uses inflammatory rhetoric when describing Clark and Bueckers as 'stealing the show at the women’s Final Four'.
<br> The article also contains a fallacy by using an appeal to authority again with Creme, Philippou and Voepel being cited as experts on their rankings of top 25 players for the 2023-4 season.
The author uses inflammatory rhetoric when describing Cardoso as 'one of the best players' in South Carolina despite her team not making it to the Final Four.
Bias
(85%)
ESPN is a mainstream media outlet that has been criticized for its bias in the past. In this article, ESPN highlights three players from teams that will compete in Cleveland and ignores any other players who may be performing well during the NCAA tournament. The emphasis on how these specific players have performed to help their teams get to the Final Four is also a potential example of monetary bias as ESPN has financial interests in promoting certain sports and athletes.
ESPN highlights three players from teams that will compete in Cleveland
The emphasis on how these specific players have performed to help their teams get to the Final Four is also a potential example of monetary bias
Iowa has just as many elite perimeter defenders as UConn
Aziaha James is averaging 24.3 ppg to lift NC State into their first Final Four since 1998.
Kate Martin has been having a stellar tournament on the boards, shooting 51.9% from inside the arc.
Accuracy
Iowa has more players on its bench than suited up
Paige Bueckers is carrying most of the scoring load on UConn's depleted roster.
Deception
(70%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author's statement that Iowa has a ton of depth and post presence like South Carolina and LSU is false. In fact, Iowa does not have as much depth or size as these teams do. Secondly, the author's claim that UConn has terrible injury luck is also false. While it may be true that UConn has had some injuries in the past, there is no evidence to suggest that they are currently experiencing any significant setbacks. Thirdly, the article contains several instances of editorializing and personal opinions from the authors which should not be included in a news analysis.
UConn has terrible injury luck
Iowa doesn't have as much depth or size as South Carolina and LSU
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several examples of informal fallacies. The author uses the phrase 'the final college chapter' to describe UConn vs Iowa which is an example of a hasty generalization as it assumes that this game will be the last time these two players face each other in their careers.
Uconn vs Iowa Auerbach
The Hawkeyes are just a little more seasoned and just a little better across the board.
I love UConn’s fight, but the lack of depth will finally catch up to the Huskies.
<br> The Athletic WBB (@TheAthleticWBB) April 2, 2024 <br>
All of the attention this month has swirled around the superstars.
South Carolina’s backcourt is excellent, but so is South Carolina.
<br> The No. 1 Gamecocks are heading to their fourth consecutive women’s Final Four after a 70-58 win over No. 3 Oregon State.<br>
NC State has proven not to beat itself.
Bias
(85%)
The article contains multiple examples of bias. The author uses language that dehumanizes one side as extreme or unreasonable. They also use the phrase 'dog-whistling' to describe a political stance without providing any context for what it means or why it is relevant to the topic at hand.
GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has been dog-whistling to supporters of extremist far-right ideologies and wild conspiracy theories like QAnon
Immediately, white supremacists online celebrated the reference to the racist and antisemitic conspiracy.
The final college chapter of Caitlin Clark vs. Paige Bueckers likely pits the next two No. 1 WNBA Draft picks.
<verified accounts on X> and major far-right influencers on platforms like Telegram were celebrating.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author of the article has conflicts of interest on all four topics provided.
Nicole Auerbach is a UConn alumna and writes for The Athletic's college basketball coverage. She may have personal biases towards UConn that could affect her analysis.
