ACC reprimands Notre Dame’s Micah Shrewsberry for charging at ref after controversial loss
The ACC issued a public reprimand but chose not to discipline Notre Dame men’s basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry for violating the conference’s sportsmanship policy after he charged after a referee following a controversial foul call late in the Irish’s 72-71 loss to Cal on Friday night.
“Shrewsberry aggressively confronted a member of the officiating crew following the game,” the ACC said in its statement. “The unsportsmanlike behavior that was displayed is unacceptable and tarnishes the on-court play between these institutions. The ACC considers this matter closed and will have no further comment.”
The game turned on one of the most bizarre officiating sequences of the season. After Notre Dame’s Braeden Shrewsberry made two free throws with 9.9 seconds left, Notre Dame was ahead by three and had a foul to give, which Micah Shrewsberry instructed guard Logan Imes to commit.
As soon as Cal’s Dai Dai Ames crossed half court, Imes started reaching to try to commit the foul. He made one final lunge, making contact with Ames’ hip right before Ames went into his shooting motion.
Ames made the shot, and official Adam Flore, who was positioned right in front of the play, signaled for an and-1 opportunity. Seconds later, Flore backtracked, called the foul on the floor, then backtracked his backtrack and reverted to his initial call.
With 5.5 seconds on the clock, Ames made the free throw to give Cal a one-point lead.
Notre Dame (10-5) advanced the ball, called a timeout and set up a sideline out-of-bounds play with 2.6 seconds left. After Braeden Shrewsberry’s 3-point attempt missed at the buzzer, this happened:
This angle of the Notre Dame coach charging at the ref 😳 (via claireanella/TT) pic.twitter.com/QsDcMKaUue
— Overtime (@overtime) January 3, 2026
Flore’s foul call was based on the continuous motion rule, which the NCAA adopted this offseason. The rule states that “an offensive player who ends his dribble going toward the basket and absorbs contact from the defense will be permitted to pivot or complete the step the player is on and finish the field goal attempt.”
This was not the intent. Even in the NBA, that shot does not count when an official knows a player is intentionally fouling.
By the letter of the law, you could maybe make a case for Flore’s call. Imes made contact right as Ames was going into his gather, so technically, he was completing the step.
“I thought there was a foul going up, and I saw the official signal it,” Cal coach Mark Madsen said postgame. “They conversed a couple times and they allowed it. There’s so much emotion in that gym — for the officials, for me, for the other team — but I was grateful Dai Dai rose up and made the shot.
“And I was grateful Dai Dai Ames had the maturity and the huge presence of mind and composure to knock down the free throw.”
While Madsen was satisfied with the eventual ruling, most officials likely aren’t making that interpretation, realizing the opponent is attempting to foul and did so before Ames had gone into his shooting motion.
In a statement released Saturday, Shrewsberry apologized for his behavior after the final buzzer: “My actions were inappropriate and not symbolic of the leader I strive to be and what Notre Dame expects of its coaches and educators.”
A Statement from Head Coach Micah Shrewsberry:
“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 and what Notre Dame expects of its coaches and educators. I will learn…
— Notre Dame Men’s Basketball (@NDmbb) January 3, 2026
