Need a Boost with Today’s Connections: Sports Edition?
Welcome to your go-to spot for clues and discussions surrounding The Athletic’s daily word puzzle, Connections: Sports Edition! If you’re finding today’s board a bit tricky, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll provide hints to nudge you in the right direction, and full solutions if you’re completely stumped.
Important Note: The answers are located at the bottom of this article. If you prefer a hint-free experience, we highly recommend attempting the puzzle first. You can access today’s game here.
Today’s Puzzle Difficulty
Game No. 538’s difficulty is rated at 3.5 out of 5. A moderate challenge awaits!
Initial Hints (One per Category)
Need a little push? Here’s one answer from each of the four categories to get you started:
- Yellow: Think about actions taken during gameplay.
- Green: Consider stages within a tournament.
- Blue: These are individuals leading collegiate women’s basketball programs.
- Purple: These teams are vying for a spot in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Full Solutions Revealed!
If you’ve exhausted your efforts and are ready for the answers, scroll down!
- Basketball Fouls (Yellow): BLOCK, CHARGE, HOLD, REACH-IN
- First Words in NCAA Tournament Rounds (Green): ELITE, FINAL, SECOND, SWEET
- Women’s College Basketball Coaches (Blue): AURIEMMA, CLOSE, IVEY, STALEY
- Teams Qualified for the 2026 Men’s NCAA Tournament (Purple): GONZAGA, HIGH POINT, QUEENS, TROY
About Connections: Sports Edition
Connections: Sports Edition, created by Mark Cooper, is The Athletic’s engaging daily puzzle. The goal is to identify connections between 16 words and group them into four categories of four. The challenge lies in finding the commonalities quickly and accurately, avoiding four mistakes. Remember, there’s only one correct solution, so be wary of words that seem to fit multiple categories!
Example Categories:
Sports ____ : Fan, Car, Bar, Radio
U.S. Summer Olympians: Biles, Phelps, Ledecky, Lyles
Each category is assigned a color, indicating its difficulty: Yellow (easy), Green (medium), Blue (challenging), and Purple (tricky).
Meet the Creator
Mark Cooper, the managing editor for college sports at The Athletic, is the mastermind behind Connections: Sports Edition. He previously served as the managing editor for breaking news. You can follow Mark on Twitter @mark_cooperjr.
The next puzzle will be available at midnight in your time zone. Thanks for playing, and don’t hesitate to share your scores and strategies in the comments below!
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