Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints, Answers for March 20 #178

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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 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.