| 100% | PURDUE | 6 | School whose basketball team (No. 1 seed) was upset by Fairleigh Dickinson's team (No. 16 seed) |
| 36% | IONA | 4 | College whose men's basketball team is coached by Rick Pitino |
| 33% | LALALAND | 8 | 2016 movie musical whose songs' lyrics were written by the same composing team as 16-Across: 3 wds. |
| 29% | BIEBER | 6 | Singer Justin whose first No. 1 hit was 2015's "What Do You Mean?" |
| 29% | KENTSTATE | 9 | School whose sports teams are known as the Golden Flashes |
| 28% | SMU | 3 | Dallas school whose sports teams are the Mustangs: Abbr. |
| 28% | SMU | 3 | Texas school whose sports teams are the Mustangs: Abbr. |
| 28% | UCLA | 4 | School whose teams are the Bruins: Abbr. |
| 28% | SYRACUSE | 8 | School whose teams are called The Orange |
| 28% | NYU | 3 | Big Apple school whose sports teams are the Violets (abbr.) |
| 28% | SDSU | 4 | Southern California school whose athletic teams are the Aztecs (Abbr.) |
| 28% | ORU | 3 | Sch. in Tulsa, Okla. whose men's basketball team made the Sweet 16 in 2021 |
| 28% | KSU | 3 | School whose team mascot is Willie the Wildcat (Abbr.) |
| 28% | USMA | 4 | School whose teams are the Army Black Knights (Abbr.) |
| 28% | DARRYL | 6 | Strawberry whose No. 18 was retired by the Mets |
| 28% | LASALLE | 7 | Philadelphia school whose teams are the Explorers |
| 28% | UCLA | 4 | West Coast school whose men's basketball team has won a record 11 NCAA titles: Abbr. |
| 27% | YALE | 4 | Ivy League school whose teams are the Bulldogs |
| 27% | USC | 3 | LA school whose teams are the Trojans: Abbr. |
| 27% | HAL | 3 | Basketball great Greer whose number 15 was retired by the 76ers |
| 27% | ALEXENGLISH | 11 | Basketball great whose #2 jersey was retired by the Denver Nuggets |
| 27% | YAO | 3 | ___ Ming whose No. 11 jersey was retired by the Houston Rockets |
| 27% | USC | 3 | Los Angeles school whose teams are the Trojans: Abbr. |
| 27% | HEART | 5 | "___ of Gold," 1972 song by Neil Young which is his only U.S. No. 1 single |
| 26% | EWING | 5 | Patrick whose No. 33 jersey was retired by the Knicks in 2003 |
| 26% | KSU | 3 | Midwestern school whose team mascot is Willie the Wildcat (Abbr.) |
| 26% | LSU | 3 | Baton Rouge school whose teams are the Fighting Tigers: Abbr. |
| 26% | DREAM | 5 | WNBA team whose name was inspired by an MLK speech |
| 26% | POLO | 4 | Water ___ (sport whose US team was supported by Flavor Flav) |
| 26% | NETS | 4 | Team whose logo is a basketball with a B |