Space Jam didn’t prepare him for this! Bill Murray was all smiles as 11-seed Xavier University pulled off an unexpected upset over 2-seed University of Arizona and earned their spot in the elite eight on Thursday, March 23.
Murray, 66, was elated at the NCAA game, proudly cheering on the Xavier Musketeers; the actor’s son, Luke Murray, is the team’s assistant coach. He was seen in the crowd excitedly crossing his arms in an “X” shape, high-fiving and hugging those around him as the final buzzer rang.
“Oh it was great. It was really like a great platoon movie, you know like the Dirty Dozen or something where a different guy comes in and saves everybody’s bacon. One after another, they all took turns. And gosh it was fun to see a win,” he said in an after-game interview with Xavier Gameday.
It’s no secret that Murray is also an enormous fan of the MLB Chicago Cubs, and after their first World Series win in 108 years in 2016, Twitter users are starting to speculate that where Murray goes, victory follows.
“The power of Bill Murray… This is his year in sports….. As a fan of course,” Chicago Bulls shooting forward Dwayne Wade wrote on Twitter.
Arizona radio host Luke Lapinski added: “I’m never picking against a Bill Murray team again.” Even Jerry Ferrara, star of STARZ’s Power, chimed in on Murray’s affect on Xavier’s upset. “Gritty Xavier win! Great game the whole way. Tons of credit to Bill Murray,” he tweeted after the team’s win.
