PHILADELPHIA, PA — You just never know what celebrities will show up for March Madness, even in a first-round matchup that tips off at 10:30 p.m. local time.
For Friday’s fourth and final game at Xfinity Mobile Arena between the 2-seed Connecticut Huskies and the 15-seed Furman Paladins, the celebrity guest is comedian and actor Bill Murray.
The “Ghostbusters” and “Groundhog Day” star was shown on the jumbotron before tip-off of the and got the arena to erupt out of fandom and cheer. … Or it could have been the fact that the original 10 p.m. ET tip-off that was delayed by the end of UCLA-UCF was finally setting up.
The Huskies, chasing their third national championship in the last four years, are looking to become the first 2-seed to be upset in the NCAA Tournament this season. UConn leads Furman 40-36 at halftime with Tarris Reed Jr. leading the way with 19 points and 16 rebounds.
But why is Murray attending March Madness?
Here’s what to know to know:
Why is Bill Murray at UConn-Furman March Madness game?
Though he is a basketball fan, Murray is in the City of Brotherly Love to support his son, Luke Murray, who is an associate head coach on the Huskies’ coaching staff.
This isn’t the first time that Murray has attended a Huskies game in the NCAA Tournament, as he was in attendance for UConn’s back-to-back national championship runs in 2022-23 and 2023-24 on top of other postseason games.
Luke Murray is in his fifth season on the UConn bench. Before taking the Huskies assistant job in 2021, he was an assistant at both Xavier and Louisville under now the College of Charleston coach Chris Mack. He is in his ninth season on Hurley’s staff across three different stops.
Is Bill Murray a UConn basketball fan?
You could say so by extension of the fact that his son is a member of Dan Hurley’s coaching staff. He may be more of a Luke Murray fan.
Where is Bill Murray from?
Bill Murray grew up in Evanston, Illinois and was a fan of the Illini as a child. He moved to New York City in 1974 where he paired up with John Belushi on The National Lampoon Radio Hour — a comedy radio show that was created, produced and written by staff from National Lampoon magazine — before landing a spot on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.” He attended Regis University in Denver but dropped out before graduating.
