Today's NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints, Answers for Jan. 20, #119

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.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition got me again with the purple category. Fortunately, if you do OK on the previous three, that one will solve itself by default. Read on for hints and answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle.

For now, the game is in beta, which means the Times is testing it out to see if it’s popular before adding it to the site’s Games app. You can play it daily for now for free — and then we’ll have to see if it sticks around. 

Read more: NYT Has a Connections Game for Sports Fans. I Tried It

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: Not going up

Green group hint: Hang ten

Blue group hint: Empire State schools

Purple group hint: Sounds like a hoopster

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Downturn

Green group: Surfing terms

Blue group: New York colleges

Purple group: Homophones of NBA player names

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 downturn. The four answers are decline, plunge, skid and slump.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is surfing terms. The four answers are barrel, crest, swell and wave.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is New York colleges. The four answers are Colgate, Columbia, St. John’s and Syracuse.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is homophones of NBA player names. The four answers are Barns, Connect, Heart and Hero.