Notre Dame suffered a heartbreaking 72-71 loss to California in an ACC game, marked by a controversial late foul call that swung the result. Coach Micah Shrewsberry charged at an official in anger post-game, leading to a public reprimand from the conference. Shrewsberry later apologized for his actions.
The Fighting Irish, with a record of 10-5 overall and 1-1 in the ACC, appeared poised for a historic 2-0 start in league play. Leading 71-68 with 9.9 seconds remaining, Notre Dame was seconds from their first road conference win under Shrewsberry's third-year tenure. However, chaos ensued in the final moments.
With 5.5 seconds left, Cal guard Dai Dai Ames drove for a 3-point shot. Notre Dame's Logan Imes attempted to foul him to prevent the attempt, but officials Adam Flore and the crew initially called the foul, then reversed it, before upholding it again. Ames' shot was deemed good, and he converted the free throw for a four-point play, putting Cal ahead 72-71. Braeden Shrewsberry's potential game-winner rimmed out at the buzzer.
Enraged, head coach Micah Shrewsberry rushed toward Flore as he exited the court, screaming and pointing. Assistant coach Mike Farrelly and freshman center Tommy Ahneman restrained him, preventing further confrontation. The incident occurred after the final horn, avoiding an in-game technical foul.
The ACC issued a public reprimand to Shrewsberry on Saturday for violating its sportsmanship policy. "Shrewsberry aggressively confronted a member of the officiating crew following the game," the conference stated. "The unsportsmanlike behavior... is unacceptable."
In a social media statement, Shrewsberry apologized: "I want to apologize for what took place immediately after the Cal game last night. My actions were inappropriate and not symbolic of the leader I strive to be... I will learn from this lack of judgement and be better in the future. I want to apologize to our team, our University and its leaders, to Coach Madsen and his team, and to the ACC, as my actions were unacceptable."
Cal coach Mark Madsen defended the call, saying, "I thought there was a foul going up. They conversed a couple times and they allowed it... I was grateful Dai Dai rose up and made the shot." Notre Dame had led by as many as 12 points earlier but faltered in late execution, missing their final four shots.
This loss reversed Shrewsberry's recent trend of composure, highlighting ongoing challenges in close ACC games for the Irish.
