Why is Bill Murray a UConn basketball fan? Famed actor is all-in on the Huskies

If you haven’t totally been keeping up with UConn basketball throughout the Huskies’ dominant run in recent years, then you’ve missed at least one celebrity coming into the March Madness spotlight. Bill Murray has been a fixture in the stands for the past several seasons with the Huskies continuing to roll through the competition to back-to-back national championships. All signs point to the actor who starred in such classic films as Caddyshack, Stripes, Ghostbusters and, of course, Space Jam, being along for the ride with Dan Hurley's Huskies for as long as they're in the NCAA Tournament and, though we won't see him, surely beyond that as well.

He was at UConn's first round win in the 2026 NCAA Tournament in a shockingly tight game with Furman, and then showed up once again in the Round of 32 with the Huskies taking on the UCLA Bruins in one of the best matchups of the second round. Obviously, everyone noticed his presence, but some people were certainly left wondering why Murray was showing up to support the group from Storrs. Well, the answer is quite simple: His son is on Hurley's coaching staff.

Why is Bill Murray at UConn basketball March Madness games?

Put simply, Bill Murray is at UConn basketball games and a Huskies fan because his son, Luke, has been a longtime assistant on Dan Hurley's staff.

Luke Murray joined the staff not long after Hurley's arrival in Storrs, and then continued to be a fixture on the staff throughout multiple national championship runs and all of the wins UConn has racked up. And, with the success of the program this year, Bill Murray has been a key figure in the stands supporting his son but also getting some of the spotlight and maybe taking some pressure off of the young players. Bill was also prominently featured in the stands previously at both Xavier and Louisville, two other stops in Luke's assistant coaching career.

It might not be the fan you expect to see front and center of a March Madness game — even if he did make a game-winning pass in Space Jam. At the same time, it's always delightful that he still keeps showing up for his son every NCAA Tournament, and it's just as much fun that he's had so much to cheer about with his son's success with the Huskies.

Bill Murray son in college basketball: Luke Murray coaching history before UConn

Murray has been on the Huskies staff for eight years with Hurley, but the 17-year college basketball coaching veteran is familiar with the head coach. They previously worked together at Rhode Island and Wagner, including with the former in the 2014-15 season that was huge for the Rams.

Bill Murray’s son then moved up in the college basketball coaching world as he was hired at Xavier, where he coached from 2015-18 and helped lead the Musketeers to multiple NCAA Tournament appearances and berths that the actor was also along for the ride for. With shakeups in that program, namely Chris Mack leaving for Louisville, Murray followed and joined the Cardinals staff, which then led him to this place.

Where did Bill Murray go to college?

Bill Murray did not ever attend UConn, nor did the actor even graduate from college. After graduating high school, though, Murray did briefly attend Regis University, a private institution in Denver, CO, where he took pre-med courses. He dropped out early in his stay, though, before ultimately ending up going back to Illinois.

However, in 2007, the acting legend was awarded an honorary degree as a Doctor of Humanities by Regis, a sign of goodwill to Murray from the university he’d once attended.

The actor also, obviously, didn't play college basketball. But Space Jam fans can definitely attest to the fact that he has a little bit of hoops in his blood. After all, he helped save the universe from the Monstars and Moron Mountain as much as Michael Jordan did, so that will always count in the hearts of '90s kids.