| 100% | OLEMISS | 7 | Nickname for a Southern university whose teams are the Rebels: 2 wds. |
| 50% | ELON | 4 | Southern university whose team is the Phoenix |
| 44% | TULANE | 6 | Southern university whose sports teams are called the Green Wave |
| 44% | OLEMISS | 7 | Nickname of the Southern university that's home to the Rebels: 2 wds. |
| 41% | KENTSTATE | 9 | Ohio university whose sports teams are nicknamed the Golden Flashes |
| 41% | SHERYLSWOOPES | 13 | She was the first player signed by a WNBA team: 2 wds. |
| 41% | STANFORD | 8 | California university whose teams are the Cardinal |
| 40% | SYRACUSE | 8 | New York university whose teams are the Orange |
| 40% | KENTSTATE | 9 | Ohio university whose team is the Golden Flashes |
| 40% | SEANANMCGUIRE | 13 | Writer whose "Middlegame" was a finalist for the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Novel (2 wds.) |
| 40% | DUSTINDIAMOND | 13 | "Saved by the Bell" actor whose surname is a place for baseball: 2 wds. |
| 40% | RUTGERS | 7 | New Jersey university whose teams are the Scarlet Knights |
| 40% | TULANE | 6 | Southern university whose newspaper is the Hullabaloo |
| 40% | LASTPLACE | 9 | The cellar, for a sports team: 2 wds. |
| 39% | BUDFOWLER | 9 | Earliest known African-American to play for a professional baseball team who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022 (2 wds.) |
| 38% | DRJ | 3 | Nickname for Erving in the old N.B.A.: 2 wds. |
| 38% | ELMTREE | 7 | A tree that is the state symbol for Massachusetts: 2 wds. |
| 38% | STETSON | 7 | Florida university whose teams are aptly named the Hatters |
| 38% | STANFORD | 8 | West Coast university whose teams are called the Cardinal |
| 38% | POLY | 4 | Cal ___ (school whose teams are the Mustangs, for short) |
| 38% | MRFIXIT | 7 | Nickname for a handyman: 2 wds., abbr. |
| 38% | GILLIANFLYNN | 12 | Suspense novelist whose book was the basis for the movie "Gone Girl": 2 wds. |
| 38% | ELMORELEONARD | 13 | Suspense novelist whose book was the basis for the movie "Get Shorty": 2 wds. |
| 38% | MIT | 3 | New England university whose teams are called the Engineers: Abbr. |
| 38% | MIT | 3 | Boston-area university whose teams are called the Engineers: Abbr. |
| 38% | ELON | 4 | Southern university whose campus is a botanical garden |
| 38% | STEPHENKING | 11 | Horror writer whose stories are the basis for the Hulu series "Castle Rock": 2 wds. |
| 37% | JFKJR | 5 | Nickname for the presidential son who was also known as "John-John" (2 wds.) |
| 37% | KIRSTIEALLEY | 12 | "Cheers" actress whose surname is a place for bowling: 2 wds. |
| 37% | OHIO | 4 | ___ State University (school whose team nickname is the Buckeyes) |