Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.
The NCAA basketball tournament is kicking into gear, and Connections: Sports Edition has a fun question related to March Madness. I also enjoyed a category that groups related team names. Hey, is that rain? Read on for hints and the answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s app. Or you can continue to play it free online.
Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta
Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: Think hoops.
Green group hint: Stormy weather.
Blue group hint: Don’t bust your bracket.
Purple group hint: Home of the Mouse House.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Shots scored around the rim.
Green group: Weather-themed teams.
Blue group: Notable NCAA tournament Cinderellas.
Purple group: Orlando ____.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?
The completed NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for March 20, 2025, #178.
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is shots scored around the rim. The four answers are alley-oop, dunk, layup and putback.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is weather-themed teams. The four answers are Hurricanes, Lightning, Storm and Thunder.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is notable NCAA tournament Cinderellas. The four answers are Owls, Peacocks, Ramblers and Retrievers.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is Orlando ____. The four answers are City, Magic, Pace and Pride.
Quick tips for Connections: Sports Edition
#1: Don’t grab for the easiest group. For each word, think about other sports categories it might fit in – is this a word that can be used in football, or to describe scoring options?
#2: Second meanings are important. The puzzle loves to use last names and even college names that mean other things, to fool you into thinking they are words, not names.
#3: And the opposite is also true. Words like HURTS might seem like a regular word, but it’s also the last name of at least one pro athlete.
