In a March Madness game that went from Friday evening into early morning on Saturday, UConn defeated the Furman Paladins, 82-71, to advance past the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
It featured a historic night from Huskies center Taris Reed Jr., who achieved several stats that had never been done by a player in a single tournament game. His 31 points and 27 rebounds also joined historic points and rebound performances from Basketball Hall of Famer Elgin Hayes in helping UConn get the win.
Throughout the game, the focus was on the various people involved, with Huskies head coach Dan Hurley always drawing attention for his sometimes dramatic sideline moments.
However, before the game started, cameras caught actor and comedian Bill Murray among the spectators in the stands. They showed the 75-year-old celebrity a few other times in the crowd, including just before halftime as he marveled at a buzzer-beating three-point shot by Furman.
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Murray’s been associated with UConn for several years now, as he’s popped up in the crowd at other Huskies men’s basketball games. That included a sighting during the NCAA Tournament two seasons ago when Donovan Clingan and UConn defeated Zach Edey and Purdue to win the school’s sixth championship.
Seeing Murray at the game likely raised questions for many viewers. Did Murray attend UConn? Was he in the crowd filming a movie, or is he just a March Madness fan?
Murray didn’t go to UConn; instead attending Regis University, which he infamously dropped out of. According to the Denver Post, the university awarded him an honorary doctor of humanities degree in 2007.
However, the actor and comedian’s son is currently a member of UConn’s coaching staff. Luke Murray has been an assistant coach with Dan Hurley since 2021 and has drawn more attention in recent seasons.
Because of Luke’s association with UConn, his father attends games to support his son and the Huskies basketball team. He’s celebrated the wins with the team and likely consoled his son after difficult losses.
However, one has to wonder if Luke could be one of the first members of Hurley’s staff to get poached by another program in search of a new head coach. He’s been linked to the open Syracuse head coaching job, which has been in headlines recently.
Nonetheless, Murray’s fandom will likely continue as UConn’s run continues, and the cameras could find him again in the sea of other fans. Hurley’s Huskies face UCLA in a second-round game scheduled for Sunday evening in Philadelphia.
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