Big 12 athlete

UTE

["Here’s a helpful hint for the clue **\"Big 12 athlete\"** with the answer **\"UTE\"**:\n\n*\"This team’s name sounds like a Native American tribe and represents a school in the western U.S.\"*\n\nThis hint guides the solver by:\n- Mentioning the cultural association (Native American tribe) to jog memory.\n- Narrowing the location (western U.S.) to help focus on relevant schools.\n- Avoiding direct repetition of \"Big 12\" or \"athlete\" while still pointing toward the answer.\n\nIt’s easier than the original clue but doesn’t give away the answer outright."]

The clue **"Big 12 athlete"** leads to the answer **"UTE"** through a combination of sports conference knowledge and wordplay. 1. **Big 12 Conference**: The Big 12 is a major collegiate athletic conference in the U.S., currently consisting of 16 schools (despite its name). One of its member institutions is the **University of Utah**, whose athletic teams are known as the **Utes**. 2. **Wordplay**: The clue uses "Big 12" to hint at the conference, and "athlete" refers to a player from one of its teams. "UTE" is a concise way to represent a University of Utah athlete. Thus, the answer is derived from identifying a team nickname within the Big 12 Conference.