The star of the UConn vs. Illinois Elite Eight game isn’t who you would’ve guessed

In attendance for the Elite Eight matchup between the UConn Huskies and the Illinois Fighting Illini is Chicago native and former Illinois hypeman, the one and only, Bill Murray.

Back in 2005, when the Fighting Illini last found themselves in the Elite Eight, Murray was on the sidelines cheering them on to a victory over Arizona.

After the upset over the Wildcats, Illinois went on to defeat Louisville in the Final Four before getting devastated by the North Carolina Tar Heels in the championship game.

This time around, Murray seems to have abandoned his hometown pride is rooting for the Huskies to pull off the win. There may be an ulterior motive at hand in this matchup though as Murray’s son is an assistant coach on UConn’s stuff.

Repeatedly shown sitting courtside at the Elite Eight matchup, Murray’s courtside seats became the center of attention throughout the first half of the game. Positioned directly behind the UConn bench, one might have wondered if he was keeping his friends or enemies closer.

Murray first appeared on basketball fans’ screens in 1996 as a cast member of Space Jam when teammate Bugs Bunny called him off the bench and onto the court. 

The Huskies had an 8-point lead at halftime and only continued to expand the scoring gap as the second half unfolded so it looks like Murray will luckily be able to remain on the bench this time around.

Another crowd favorite at the Illinois versus UConn game was actor and notorious New York Knicks fan Larry David.

With such a star-studded cast in the stands, it’s a relief that the players were able to stay locked into their ever-important matchup.