The Illinois-UConn Final Four matchup is a Bill Murray special

It’s a Final Four close to Bill Murray’s heart.

When UConn faces Illinois in the national semifinals on Saturday in Indianapolis, maybe Murray will already be the biggest winner. The comic actor has ties to both programs. This is the Illini’s first trip to the Final Four since 2005. The biggest celebrity fan in attendance at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis was Murray, an Illinois native. He watched Dee Brown, Luther Head, and Deron Williams come so close before losing to North Carolina 75-70 in the championship game.

This time, Murray hopes for better results, especially because he’ll be rooting against Illinois. That’s completely understandable. Murray has a good reason for changing allegiances. Luke Murray, Bill’s son, is an assistant coach for UConn. Bill Murray has been the Huskies’ most recognized fan since 2021.

Bill Murray and his son celebrate the @UConnMBB win 👏#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/b3Obowe1kc

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 9, 2024

Bill Murray has been connected to sports for many years. He has appeared in sports comedies like Caddyshack, Kingpin, and Space Jam. He also frequently attends baseball games (he’s a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan), golf tournaments, March Madness, and more. In recent years, his college basketball fandom has been nomadic as he supports his son. Since 2010, Luke Murray has served as an assistant coach at six different Division I schools. 

The national media first noticed Luke Murray and his well-known father when the younger Murray worked as an assistant at Xavier (2015-2018) under Chris Mack. Bill was a frequent attendee at Xavier games, including the Musketeers’ heartbreaking last-second 66-63 loss to Wisconsin in the second round of the 2016 NCAA tournament. Murray could only watch in despair as the Badgers won a three-point buzzer-beater.

A full-circle moment for Bill Murray:

Murray was a very public Illinois supporter the last time the Illini made the Elite 8 in 2005.

Now his son, Luke, is coaching against the Illini as a UConn assistant, with a Final Four spot up for grabs. pic.twitter.com/is3PMvU8xp

— Matt Fortuna (@Matt_Fortuna) March 30, 2024

When Mack took over Louisville, Bill Murray added to a fanbase that already includes Jennifer Lawrence rooting for the Cardinals. What made Murray’s appearance at Louisville surreal was that several scenes from the 1981 movie Stripes were filmed within walking distance of the KFC Yum! Center. But the good times didn’t last. Luke Murray was the fall guy for a disappointing 2020-21 season and was fired by Mack. 

It turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Luke Murray joined Dan Hurley’s staff at UConn. Since then, he has been part of the most successful program in the sport. If the Huskies win it all at Lucas Oil Stadium, that will be three national championships in four years. For the record, this will be the second time Illinois and UConn face each other this season. In November, the Huskies won 74-61 at Madison Square Garden.

Me to Bill Murray: “What’s it been like watching your son coach basketball?”

New @BCMBB Head Coach (and current @UConnMBB assistant) Luke Murray has a big fan in his dad (circa 2014) pic.twitter.com/jPsbJm0Q0A

— Alexa Datt (@AlexaDatt) March 28, 2026

Regardless of the outcome, Bill Murray will have another team to root for this fall, as Luke Murray has been named the new head coach at Boston College. He’ll be juggling two jobs until UConn’s season ends.

“He’s pretty good at what he does,” Bill Murray once told then-SNY’s Alexa Datt in 2014 when Luke Murray was at Rhode Island. “I get a kick out of it. And he wears a tie. Who wouldn’t be proud of their son in a tie?”