Celebrities who graduated from Northwestern, No 9 seed in NCAA March Madness 2024 tournament

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HV Porter of Illinois coined term 'March Madness' — here's his amazing story

H.V. Porter wrote that passionate Illinois high school hoops fans were possessed by "March Madness" in 1939. The phrase, now attributed to the NCAA college basketball tourney, has entered American mainstream language.

March Madness 2024 is in full swing, with bets being placed and brackets being drawn on who fans think will be the last team standing. 

Northwestern University is one of the 68 teams that has earned a spot in the NCAA tournament this year. Northwestern, the No. 9 seed, faces No. 8 seed Florida Atlantic University on March 22.

There are many famous Northwestern alumni that could be cheering on the Wildcats throughout the tournament.

Zach Braff is one of many famous alumni who graduated from Northwestern University. (Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Baby2Baby)

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1. Meghan Markle
2. Zach Braff
3. Kathryn Hahn
4. Billy Eichner
5. David Schwimmer

1. Meghan Markle

Before becoming a royal, Meghan Markle was a student at Northwestern University. She graduated in 2003 with a double major in theater and international studies. While completing her studies, she was also a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.

Before Meghan Markle became a TV star and the wife of a royal, she studied at Northwestern University. (Karwai Tang)

Markle's star grew from her role on the legal drama "Suits" that aired from 2011 until 2019. 

Markle became the Duchess of Sussex, a title bestowed on her by Queen Elizabeth II, when she married Prince Harry in 2018 at St. George's Chapel in Windsor. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have since welcomed two children, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor and Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor.

Since 2020, the couple have stepped back as working members of the royal family.

2. Zach Braff

Zach Braff is a graduate of Northwestern University, where he earned his bachelor's degree in film. 

Braff is widely known for playing John Michael "J.D." Dorian from 2001 to 2010 in the medical comedy series "Scrubs."

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Other work of Braff's include "The Last Kiss" and "The Ex" in 2006 as well as "In Dubious Battle" in 2016. 

Braff has also done voice-over work in movies like "Chicken Little" (2005) and "Oz the Great and Powerful" (2013). 

Braff's directorial debut came with the 2004 movie "Garden State." He continued his directorial path with more movies like the 2014 film "Wish I Was Here" and the 2023 picture "A Good Person."

3. Kathryn Hahn

Kathryn Hahn is a 1995 graduate of Northwestern University with a degree in theater.

Hahn became part of the beloved Marvel Universe when she played Agatha Harkness in the miniseries "Wandavision" in 2021.

Kathryn Hahn is widely recognized for her role in the Marvel franchise as Agatha Harkness. (Cindy Ord/VF24/Getty Images for Vanity Fair)

Before this, Hahn's other notable work includes "Bad Moms" (2016) and the film's 2017 sequel, "A Bad Moms Christmas," as well as "This is Where I Leave You" (2014), "The Visit" (2015) and "Glass Onion" (2022).

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Hahn returns to her alma mater this year to deliver the commencement address to the graduating class and receive an honorary degree.

4. Billy Eichner

Billy Eichner is a graduate of the 2000 class at Northwestern University. Like many of his fellow celeb alumni, he majored in theater. 

Eichner's comedy game show "Billy on the Street" really put him on the map, as well as voicing the animated character Timon in the remake of "The Lion King" (2019) and starring in the 2022 film "Bros." 

Eichner will be the keynote speaker at the Northwestern University School of Communication convocation ceremony in June. 

"Northwestern changed my life for the better in so many ways," Eichner said in a press release about the event. "It is one of my favorite places, and I am truly honored to be the keynote speaker for the School of Communication’s convocation this year."

5. David Schwimmer

David Schimmer is a graduate of Northwestern's 1988 class with a bachelor's degree in theater and speech.

David Schwimmer played Ross Geller in the '90s sitcom "Friends." (NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal)

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Following graduation, Schwimmer began Chicago's Lookingglass Theater Company with seven other Northwestern graduates.

Schwimmer is largely known for playing Ross Geller in the popular '90s sitcom "Friends."