Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints, Answers for March 11 #169

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.

Connections: Sports Edition might be tough today. But I enjoyed the blue group, which paid tribute to a sports icon 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 show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own 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 Wimbledon.

Green group hint: Think March Madness.

Blue group hint: National League legend.

Purple group hint: First round pick?

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Scoring in tennis.

Green group: A score in basketball. 

Blue group: Associated with Willie Mays.

Purple group: ____ draft

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 scoring in tennis. The four answers are 15, 40, deuce and love.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is a score in basketball. The four answers are basket, bucket, field goal and make.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is associated with Willie Mays.. The four answers are 24, Giants, Say Hey Kid and The Catch.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ____ draft. The four answers are expansion, fantasy, mock and NFL.

Toughest Connections: Sports Edition categories

The Connections: Sports Edition puzzle can be tough, but it really depends on which sports you know the most about. My husband aces anything having to do with Formula 1, my best friend is a hockey buff, and I can answer any question about Minnesota teams.

That said, it’s hard to pick the toughest Connections categories, but here are some I found exceptionally mind-blowing recently.

#1: Series A Clubs, Jan. 11. Answers: Atalanta, Juventus, Lazio, Roma.

#2: WNBA MVPs, Jan. 21. Answers: Catchings, Delle Donne, Fowles and Stewart.

#3: Premier League team nicknames, Jan. 17. Answers: Bees, Cherries, Foxes and Hammers.

#4: Homophones of NBA player names, Jan. 26. Answers: Barns, Connect, Heart and Hero.