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Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a tough one. Hope you know your college sports arenas! If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.
 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: Empire State sports.
Green group hint: Fighting with swords.
Blue group hint: Places to play hoops.
Purple group hint: William, but for short.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Teams that play in New York State
Green group: Fencing terms.
Blue group: College basketball venues.
Purple group: Bills.
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What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?
The completed NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Jan. 13, 2026.
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is teams that play in New York State. The four answers are Bills, Islanders, Mets and Sabres.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is fencing terms. The four answers are en garde, epee, foil and piste.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is college basketball venues. The four answers are Hinkle, Palestra, Pauley and The Pit.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is Bills. The four answers are Cowher, Parcells, Russell and Self.
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